"Hah. If I'm not mistaken, you aren't even Emperor Claudius's blood. You're only his adopted daughter. And now your mother has thrown you away too. What right do you have to wave that scrap of paper around and come to Britannia to demand payment?"
Just as the red-haired First Princess was running out of steam, her younger sister finally couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in to back her up.
"Hmph! So what? Father never stripped me of my inheritance rights. He even granted me the Claudius Ussus surname. By tradition, I still have the right to inherit!"
"Even if you do, so what? Rome has never had a woman enter the Pantheon and receive an [Imperial Privilege] sanction."
"Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it never will! I'm a once-in-a-million genius!"
"The Seventh Legion already follows your mother's orders. Let's see if you can even make it back to the Seven Hills alive first. Besides, have you ever wondered how we knew where you were going?"
"…"
Nero's face reddened slightly. She clenched her teeth against her soft lips and fell silent, her eyes dimming.
The truth was, it wasn't only Boudica's side that was a mess. Nero's own situation was hardly any cleaner.
Her mother was Agrippina the Younger. She had married three times. Nero was the child of her first husband, while Claudius I was her third.
Agrippina the Younger was a wanton, venomous woman who would do anything to get what she wanted. To secure Claudius I, she personally poisoned her second husband.
After that, to cement her position, the poisonous woman pressured Claudius I, nearly fifty and unlikely to have children with her, into choosing her child Nero as the imperial heir of the Claudius line.
And Claudius I's cause of death was also poisoning. All signs suggested that Nero's poisonous mother was the one who did it.
With her husband eliminated and the inheritance secured through a daughter who was still young and inexperienced, Agrippina the Younger only grew more brazen. She openly indulged herself, frequently bringing lovers home, wasting money without restraint.
As the child grew older day by day, the struggle for power between mother and child inevitably turned into open hostility, the tension sharpening into something irreconcilable.
Compared to a mother whose power ran deep and far, the young Nero was simply too weak.
If she didn't want to remain a puppet on someone else's strings, she had to build achievements of her own and win the support of the army, even the Pantheon itself.
But Agrippina the Younger was fiercely possessive and controlling. She was never going to tolerate Nero's resistance.
That debt note, forcing Nero to come demand repayment from the Celts, was her handiwork.
Nero, stubborn to the bone, chose to fight it out. First she tried every method she could to escape the city of the Seven Hills and reach the Seventh Legion's camp, hoping to gain the army's backing, but she got nowhere.
With no other options, she gambled everything, taking the handful of people assigned to her and coming to negotiate with the Celts herself.
Now, though, it seemed her mother had already decided she should die.
Nero's position might not have been any better than that of Boudica and her two daughters.
But the future tyrant, known for doing whatever she pleased, was not the type to swallow a loss and retreat.
Having her wound poked raw, Nero sank into gloom for only a moment before lifting her small face, planting her hands on her hips, and snorting coldly.
"Hmph! My affairs are none of your concern. Debts must be repaid, as is only right. And this is a contract witnessed by the oath goddess Styx. If you Celts insist on defaulting, then when the Pantheon's armies press in, you won't even be fit to serve as slaves!"
"And we took you in! If we'd known, we should've let you die on Lonely Hill!"
"If I die on Lonely Hill, then the crime of murdering the Claudius heir will be pinned on the Celts. You won't escape either. All of you will be dragged down with me!"
"You…!"
The First Princess, only getting angrier by the second, raised her hand in fury. By then, the Second Princess had already withdrawn to handle other matters.
"Can't win with words, so you're resorting to fists? Is that the famed Celtic upbringing?"
"Roman barbarian, who are you calling uncultured?!"
Nero lifted her chin and shot back without hesitation at her sworn rival. The red-haired First Princess dropped her raised hand in frustration and leaned in again, the two of them glaring and trading barbs so close their foreheads nearly touched, like a pair of furious fighting cocks.
"Smack! Smack!"
Just as it looked like they were about to come to blows, a graceful, full-figured figure appeared out of nowhere and tapped both girls sharply on the head.
A pair of long, fair hands promptly seized them by the collars like a hawk snatching chicks. A gentle yet unmistakably authoritative voice rang in their ears.
"You two argue when you sleep, argue when you meet, argue when you bathe. You even argue over finding someone. From morning till night, you never stop. Are you eating or not?"
Queen Boudica, who had come to retrieve them, looked thoroughly exasperated.
"Um… what's for dinner?"
Caught on the spot, Nero instinctively shrank her neck, clearly a little wary of Boudica. Then her nose twitched as she caught the rich aroma in the air, and her eyes lit up.
"The hunting party caught a nest of wild boars that were ruining the crops. It's rare to have this much meat. If you're late, there won't be any left."
Boudica glanced toward the kitchen behind her, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"I guess I am a little hungry. How about we call a truce and resume after we've eaten?"
Nero nudged the red-haired First Princess beside her with her elbow.
"Deal!"
The First Princess swallowed audibly and nodded hard. The two longtime rivals slapped hands with practiced familiarity.
Considering this same scene had played out more than ten times in just a few days, Boudica was already used to it. She released them without fuss and followed behind at an unhurried pace, like a mother herding two mischievous children home for dinner.
They were starting to look more and more like a family…
And maybe that wasn't a bad thing…
On the grass, Samael stretched lazily, a faint murmur escaping him. His smiling eyes carried a subtle, unreadable glint.
Just as the Ancient Serpent was about to get up and join the meal, Nero came running along a side path, clutching a clay bowl. She stumbled a little, then thrust the bowl in front of him as if presenting treasure. A good portion of the meat broth had already spilled, but her eyes were bright.
"Here. It's all my favorite. I'm giving it to you…"
"So, what's the price, future Emperor?"
Samael paused for a moment, then accepted the bowl under Nero's hopeful yet nervous gaze, asking with a teasing tone.
"No need. This is what you deserve for saving me…"
Nero shook her head earnestly, then bit her lower lip, her expression turning serious.
"But if you're willing to take me back to the City of Seven Hills and help me reclaim what Father left me, I'm willing to pay any price."
"Any price? Are you sure?"
Samael stroked his chin, his vertical pupils narrowing as he looked the flat-chested girl up and down, his voice low and probing.
"Of course!"
Nero's heart pounded. She forced herself to endure the shiver that rose under his scrutiny and nodded firmly.
"I see…"
Samael's tone shifted oddly as he broke into a bright grin.
"Boudica, come take your child back."
The determined little girl froze on the spot. Before she could react, a soft yet unyielding hand seized the back of her neck.