Gaia spun back around to follow once more the servant, who had also stopped for a moment to wait for them. They waded through the sea of other couches, all arranged in groups in the same way they were in Crassa’s house: that is, three couches a set encircling the three sides of a rectangular table. They arrived at their destination, the one at the center of the crowd and with the best view of the stage on his left that Richard hadn’t paid attention to at all.

  To Richard’s surprise, there were just two people on the farther couch, laying on their sides and both propped up by one elbow. The right couch and the nearer couch were both empty, though clearly having been sat on recently.

  “Hey, hey…!” One of the women called with a voice with a rebellious edge. “Look what the cat dragged in.” She had a swing to her words and dragged out the last few syllables of her sentence far more than needed. Her mane of hair had a crazy wildness to it, looking like she had just come out of a tussle. Her toga, rather than worn correctly and hanging from her shoulder, was instead pooled around her waist. Even her tunic seemed to be missing a shoulder strap or whatever, as she bared her lovely expanse of perfect skin, including her collarbone and much of her left breast.

  “Auntie Lucia!” Gaia greeted. She leapt onto the near couch and scampered to the edge.

  “I’m not your aunt, you punk.” Caesarea growled with a wry smirk on her face. “Your mother clearly still hasn’t taught you respect.”

  “Oh no, she has, she just also taught me that different elders deserved different treatments.”

  “Oh? Has she?” The glint in the ex-consul’s eyes turned dangerous. “What did she say about me specifically?”

  “That I should treat you like we treat the rats in the sewers!”

  Richard swore to himself, having barely reached out to stop Gaia.

  The three of them eyed the host of the entire banquet, rich enough to throw a party where all of Rome’s most influential people attended by the looks of it. Untold amount of power hid underneath her completely lackadaisical attitude, and Richard found himself repeating something he had read long ago.

  If someone actively floundered the rules and conventions, either they’re too small-time to matter… Or… they were too powerful to bother.

  There was a quietting of the crowd around them. An almost artificial deafening as he noticed a number of attentive party-goers turn their attention to the table. Yet, still, his full attention was on Lucia Julia Caesarea as she casually leaned forward with an unreadable expression on her face.

  On Gaia’s side, she lost not even a bit of her enthusiasm.

  I thought you liked her! Richard gulped.

  “Clearly - “ Caesarea finally said. “The woman’s lost all sense.” She gave a great, exaggerated sigh. “That’s what happens when every night you’re pounded by your resident poet while forced to listen to the cries of ecstasy from your husband being screwed correctly by her sister-wife.”

  Richard was absolutely taken back. He hurried to cover Gaia’s ears despite everything being already uttered, and gave the ex-consul a horrified look. Then, he spun to face Pullina, mostly out of shock more than anything, still keeping the child in the vicinity deafened. “Why?” He said, unable to imagine anything close to such words ever been uttered by any politician at all.

  Pullina’s reaction to the phrase was surprisingly subdued. She looked reserved as normal, until prodded by Richard’s single word question. “You don’t believe that, do you?” She lifted an eyebrow.

  What the fuck. So it’s pure unfounded slander?! Why say that so directly?!

  “Isn’t she funny?” Gaia said.

  “No!”

  “Every man I’ve ever met says I’m very funny.” Caesarea drawled.

  He gulped. “Clearly they’ve got a stronger sense of self-preservation than I do.”

  “Ha! Now, come, come! Sit down, you’re making my neck hurt standing all day!”

  Pullina and Richard did as requested, laying on the couch on each side of Gaia in the same manner as Caesarea was. They made sure to lay down in diagonals so that no one was excluded from access to the table, and with it, the conversation.

  “But that’s not her best trait!” Gaia continued. “She’s also a master of adaptability! She was consul during the worst of the Marsic War and held well in her own right, winning great battles just like Sulla.”

  “Oh?” Richard said, having absolutely only the barest of understanding of the prestige of the woman in front of him. “How ma - womanly.” …I definitely should have thought of better praise.

  “She’s the one who proposed the Julian Laws that single handedly changed the tide of the war!” She continued excitedly, still seated rather than laying down. Richard supposed she was bounding out of her seat. “The flexibility of mind and tactics, the markings of a proud Roman!”

  If she is related to the famous Caesar, it seems like it runs in the bloodline. “That’s very admirable,” He said to Caesarea.

  For the barest of seconds, Caesarea’s cocky smile dropped. Fast enough that he waved it off as a trick of the light. “Whatever the means of acquisition,” She said. “I invite you all to partake in a sliver of the glory and prestige I have earned Rome. Still, I’m a little surprised you aren’t at your mother’s banquet.”

  “There’s no need for the entire family to be there, is there?” Gaia answered.

  “I did hear they had trouble acquiring a certain dish they were to serve… due to a recent hike in price.”

  “Mere hearsay.” Pullina interrupted. “It is as extravagant as expected of her station. A supplier issue, the woman sold more than she had in inventory.”

  “A shameful mistake. You should find more trustworthy clients. Anyways, that’s enough small talk,” Caesarea said. “How about we have some food, I’ve got something very nice prepared for tonight.”

  “What about consul Sulla?”

  Richard always jumped at the sudden, quiet words from the previously silent woman on Caesarea’s right. The woman had been dead silent the entire conversation, not even moving an each as if she was a statue. Strangely enough, she had her silvery-gray hair in a crown braid - a first from what he could see. She was also tilting her head downward such that she was looking up at everyone else, shrinking into herself almost.

  “Hah, I’m famished, I’m not waiting anymore.” Caesarea said. “Come on, start the main course!” She yelled at a nearby servant.

  Richard watched with interest. He was quite hungry at this point of the day - remember that he had previously skipped lunch, and was very, very curious at what would be served at a Roman banquet. He’d imagine it to be very tasty dishes prepared by the best chefs.

  First, servants brought over towels and basins and everyone washed their hands. A little awkward with his bandaged hand, but they made do. Unfortunately, it wasn’t with soap, but Richard was shocked by the practice. He had heard all about the medieval ages’ aversion towards cleanliness, so how come the Romans were doing this sort of thing already? Different world, he reminded himself.

  After finishing and taking everything away, the servants brought over the first dish to everyone at the banquet, starting with their table. Richard stared at the strange spiky black balls in his plate, which were opened to show the yellow-ish orange curved pieces of tongue-like morsels within.

  Gaia looked at it hungrily and didn’t wait a moment to dig in, reaching in to extract the orange insides and stuff it into her mouth.

  “What is this, if I may ask?” He asked Pullina.

  “Sea urchin.” She responded.

  What? He’d never had it before, merely heard about it. He thought it was some kind of bivalve - as in clams, that sort of thing.

  “Never had this before? Luckily for you, I’m quite generous to even allow someone like you such opportunity,” said Caesarea.

  “I’m sure it’s because he’s from quite far,” Pullina said.

  “Far? Where does he come from?”

  Pullina looked at Richard. “...Off the coast in the west. Somewhere without sea urchins nearby, it seems.” He was puzzled by her semi-lie, since technically the Americas were off the coast of Spain… Very, very off the coast. He didn’t speak up against it though. It would be wrong to correct her in front of such an important figure.

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  “Oh, even past the Hispanian provinces!” She leaned forward in interest, then blinked as she noticed something. “You, boy, no wonder you’ve got those eyes…”

  He shifted back a little uncomfortably. Then, he turned his attention to his food. He carefully scooped out one of the pieces that stuck to the walls of the spiky thing using his unwrapped hands and brought it to his mouth. He licked his fingers. It was very rich, creamy, kind of buttery. He let it melt in his mouth as he enjoyed every bit of it, looking for every inch of the complexities in its flavor, as it was quite delicate and refined in taste.

  “There’s some garum if you want some.” Gaia pointed out.

  “Hmmm.” He said, still in his own world. He’d never eaten something like sea urchin. Garum, on the other hand, he’d already had yesterday's supper and in the morning.

  “You need to try it, this isn’t like what we had at breakfast. A host like Lucia Julia Caesarea would never cheap out, so I assure you this is the best garum there is.”

  To be honest, I would be happy if I had less garum… He did as Gaia requested though, dipping the next bunch of the orange sea urchin portion into a small plate with the aforementioned garum. Then, he brought it into his mouth, and then his world exploded with flavor. Umami-packed and savory, he thought the very essence of seafood had being brought to his unsuspecting mouth. Then, at the edges, sun-dried tomatoes and fragrant herbs enhanced the experience twofold, enough that for a moment he thought he might faint.

  Wait, wait, this isn’t a cooking anime! He calmed himself down, bringing himself down from what could only be a climax of flavor. Good, my clothes are still on. “My compliments to the chef.” He finally said.

  Caesarea raised an eyebrow at him.

  “He means he thanks you, Lucia Julia Caesarea.” Pullina hurried.

  “Hm.” Was all the reply.

  Did I make a mistake? He couldn’t figure out what he did, however. “Yes, of course, your hospitality is of the greatest quality. By the way - “ He thought it might be a good moment to divert attention. “What part is this of the sea urchin?”

  Gaia licked her fingers, having finished her share. “The gonads,” she said. “They’re very good, aren’t they?”

  Richard stared at her. “The what.”

  “It’s actually very interesting.” The unnamed woman beside Caesarea suddenly spoke up. “Sea urchins reproduce sexually - there is male and female sea urchins. You can tell its gender by the color of the gonad - if it’s yellow, it’s male, if it’s orange, it’s female. However, unlike many land animals, they can reproduce also asexually. I have also personally witnessed them cloning themselves in the larval stage. A very fascinating process.”

  There was silence immediately after her speech.

  I didn’t need to know that!

  “T-Thank you Vospicia,” Caesarea finally said.

  A tremble went through him as nausea struck. Unlike a lot of people, he wasn’t the best with ‘exotic’ food. He opened his mouth to voice his disgust, but then quickly realized it might not be the best idea in front of the host. He gave himself a few moments to adjust, forcing the bile back down his throat. I can’t barf… I can’t barf… He stared down at the sea urchin, struggling to keep the polite smile on his face. How am I going to finish this?! I can barely even eat two pieces!

  He felt a gaze on him and glanced towards its direction. It was Gaia, looking at the food that was left on his plate with a voracious appetite. “Do you want it?”

  “Eh?! No, no… I was just… enjoying the sights!”

  Perfect. He picked up the plate, offering it to Gaia. “If you want it, you can have it.” He said. She’ll surely enjoy it far more than he will.

  A hand that wasn’t Gaia’s grabbed his plate.

  “I’ll have it,” Pullina said.

  “Eh?!” Gaia said again as Pullina swallowed all the remaining pieces in seconds. “Hey!”

  It’s a delicacy - no matter how much I hate it - shouldn’t you enjoy that slowly?

  There was a bit more of meaningless small talk before the second dish came. He was far more happy about this one, a roast duck of sorts. It smelled quite nice and rich, but not as good as a lot he ate in his past life. The decorations of herbs, fruits, and even flowers appealed to his other senses, however, filling in some of the gap.

  It turned out it was flamingo.

  A whole flamingo, for every person.

  He didn’t even know there were flamingos in Italy, though most likely it was imported from the distance reaches of the empire. The meat had a rich and gamey taste. Tender and fatty, it was exponentially better tasting than the sea urchin in his opinion. Or maybe he was just more comfortable with it. It reminded him of the peking roast duck though he would admit he had better. Back in the old world, the duck he had in restaurants involved multi-step courses where every part of the animal was used. It would start with the skin which was rolled up in flour pancakes, followed by a dish with vegetables and meat from the duck. Lastly, would be a soup with cabbage and bones. Now that was good.

  Servants cut the best pieces off and gave them to him on a silver plate. The rest, which was over 90% of the bird’s remaining meat, they took away. How decadent.

  Richard glanced at the others, curious to see how they were enjoying it. Pullina had a polite smile, ‘Vospicia’ was deep in her meal, and Caesarea casually tossed the morsels into her mouth in a very high parabolic arc. She had a wide grin, seemingly especially enjoying herself as she watched Gaia trying her best to hide her fury.

  …What?

  “You know, I’ve been hearing some things about your boy here.” Caesarea. “Curious rumors… about Sulla.”

  Gaia paused for a moment, clearly thinking over something. She came to a decision and let her fury dissipate. “Oh, you mean earlier today when Sulla…” She looked around, before lowering her voice into a quieter whisper, “When she came at him like a bitch in heat?”

  Richard drove an elbow into Gaia’s side. “I thought you’d said you’d behave.” He hissed at her.

  “But I am.” She whispered back to him, even quieter to hopefully keep the conversation between them. “Isn’t this what she was looking for the whole time?”

  Richard stared into her eyes in abject confusion. “What? Are you trying to sass me? I - “ He was interrupted as Caesarea laughed. The woman was Sulla’s ally, he couldn’t understand why she’d take insults towards Sulla, especially such obvious ones.

  “I do apologize for Gaia’s wording,” said Pullina, “But they do have truth to them.” She did not look even close to as angry as Richard expected from the child’s behavior. Rather, she was composed and didn’t look like it was too much out of the ordinary.

  “It is good to get confirmation. I will admit, it is not the best news to come out after yesterday’s events. The campaign against Queen Mithridates is a long and treacherous one - I heard her army doubles every three months that passes. Against such an undertaking, we need an experienced consul at her best.”

  “Oh, I think you’d do well, Caesarea, with your exploits in the Marsic War.” Pullina said.

  “Ha!” Caesarea grinned, “Unfortunately, it is Sulla’s war to win or lose, and for the rest of us to pick up the pieces.” She took a swig of wine. “Ah, that’s enough bad news, today is a day of celebration!” She called for a servant. “Come on, bring out the next one, what’s holding you rabble?” Richard thought she looked a little more cheery than she should be, with what’s happening with her faction.

  The next dish that was brought out was surprisingly only one per table. Once again arranged with great decorum, the circular, pouch-like meat was sliced by the servant who had brought it out and served to each person on a separate plate. He recognized some of the accompanying ingredients: fennel, dried mint - by smell, honey, and perhaps some vinegar for acidity.

  Oh, is it beef tripe? Or pork? He thought. The appearance doesn’t seem right, though. It doesn’t have the tell-tale strips. Still, I’m excited to try it! It smells absolutely divine, and despite the misfire at the start, the second dish was quite good! He picked up a piece with his hand and took a careful bite.

  It’s quite very tender, very rich even for meat. The texture reminded him of slow cooked tenderloin, but the taste was infinitely more… different. A good kind of different that tingled on his tongue, giving it a very unique, exquisite, almost sensual feel. God dammit cooking anime.

  “You like it?” Pullina asked. “I’ll admit it, I’m not so much as for it myself.” She did finish it, however.

  “Ah? You looking down on meat, Pullina?” Caesarea said, “You can’t get this kind of legendary tenderness anywhere else, you should be happy you get to eat it!”

  “I’m not saying I don’t appreciate your hospitality, as I do. But…”

  Richard was a little nervous now. Eh… Oh shit. Did I let my guard down too fast? He turned his attention to the child sitting in between him and Pullina, and only now noticed she was also just prodding at the food.

  Fuck.

  “What is this, sorry?” He said, not even caring if they make fun of him openly for being a peasant.

  “Vulva Porcina.” Vospicia helpfully answered. “Very, very expensive, as you need to spay a sow early in their life to keep that rich and tenderness. Some of my clients have attempted to create it by separating the males and females, but in certain cases - “

  The auto-translator that had been sputtering in his head decided to finally work with perfect timing.

  Sow’s womb.

  He sat up. “Excuse me, I believe I need to go to the bathroom. If you’d excuse me…”

  “Richard… You said excuse me twice…” Gaia looked worried. It must have been the expression on his face. She looked like she wanted to go with him, but Pullina grabbed her hand. When she turned to the older woman, her elder shook her head.

  “Remember it would be rude not to finish, Julia Minor.” Pullina said.

  “But…”

  Pullina gave her a sharp look, which turned into pleading.

  “I’m fine! I’m fine,” In his hurry to slide off the couch, he slid. His feet went out from underneath and with a soft thump he hit his head on the padded triclinare. It didn’t hurt as much as it would have if it was wood, but it certainly wasn’t great.

  “Do you know where the toilet is?” Caesarea said with great amusement.

  He scrambled to his feet, immediately regretting his hurry as he heaved. “No, I’ll…” Keep it in, keep it in… Oh god I’m going to vomit. “I’ll be fine, I’ll ask a maid.”

  The four women watched him leave.

  “Was it something I said?” Vospicia asked.

  “No, sis, you have the best timings!” Caesarea grinned, having the absolute time of her life.

  Author’s Note (20250503):

  Thank you very much for reading! Please leave a review/comment, follow, or favorite if you wish to see more!

  Many thanks for Pathalen for beta and so much support!

  A bit of an announcement this week. We’re actually reaching the end of book 1! The 24th will be the date of the last chapter of book 1, and then chapter uploads will be going on break! I’m considering publishing book 1 on amazon, so stay tuned!

  Note: I know the previous chapter is called Chapter 7 Part 1, but I've decided to stop calling them chapter parts and just chapters.

  Next Chapter Part: 20250510