Septimus was unaware of Cinna's thoughts and focused solely on resolving all his affairs in Rome so that he could return quickly to his villa in Capua.
At that very moment, however, an event occurred at the villa that would change his plans.
One week earlier.
At Septimus's villa in Capua, inside the residence, one of the twenty slave women was nervously pacing in circles while two of her closest friends tried to comfort her.
The slave's name was Cyra. She had delicate features, a slender figure, and olive-toned skin. Worry and anxiety were reflected in her large eyes.
Cyra was a Persian slave who had been trained from a very young age to serve men. Her original fate had been to be sold to nobles or, in the worst-case scenario, to end up in a high-class brothel. She had been fortunate enough to be purchased by Septimus's men and deeply valued her current, relatively carefree lifestyle.
The source of Cyra's distress was that she had realized she was pregnant. Had this happened before her master Septimus's marriage, she would have been happy. Now, however, her fate was uncertain.
Before becoming Septimus's slave, the young Cyra had heard stories of masters' wives who forced slave women to abort, killed them, or sold them to low-quality brothels. Cyra was terrified of such a fate.
The only solution she could think of was to abort the child without anyone noticing. The only problem was how to obtain the necessary medicines.
"Cyra, we don't know what the young master's opinion will be about your baby," said a slave named Doris.
"I think the same. The young master is a good person," said another slave, Soria, in an ingenuous voice.
Both women were close friends of Cyra and had been the first to learn of her pregnancy. Although the twenty slaves occasionally served Septimus together, they maintained small social groups, with mild rivalries as they competed for his attention.
"I can't take the risk. The young master is married now, and the new domina is a very irritable woman who hates us," Cyra said, holding back a sob.
Doris and Soria said nothing. They were also aware of Fausta's temperament and knew she disliked them.
"Could we try to bribe Tullius to buy medicine for an abortion?" Doris suggested, uncertain about her plan.
"We have no money, and all the slaves and guards deeply respect the young master. It's more likely they would report it to him," Cyra replied, her large eyes filling with tears.
Tullius was one of Septimus's clones, responsible for supervising and managing the villa residence. Septimus used different clones, altering their personalities to avoid frightening the slaves. He did the same in the presence of other people.
It would have been considered deeply unsettling if all the clones behaved with the same personality, and it would have easily frightened the twenty beautiful slaves.
The three women considered various ideas, discarding them one by one. It was only after several days that Cyra could no longer hide her pregnancy.
While the slaves were having lunch, Cyra became nauseous and vomited, which alerted Septimus. Using the clones assigned to the residence, attention was paid to Cyra's health.
Septimus was very protective of the twenty women, and within days he was surprised to learn that the slave named Cyra was pregnant. To be honest, with his replication ability and relative immortality, Septimus was not concerned about lacking heirs.
Cyra's pregnancy also confirmed that Septimus was capable of having children. Previously, he had paid little attention to the matter of descendants.
While Septimus's mind went blank at the thought of new life, he did not forget about Cyra. The beautiful slave, realizing she had been discovered, broke down into prolonged sobbing.
The clone Tullius, Septimus's alter ego, could only comfort her as best he could.
"I assure you, the young master will be happy when he learns of your pregnancy," Tullius said kindly.
"How can you be so sure?" Cyra replied, thin tears running from her large black eyes.
"I can confirm it. The young master bought you so that he could have many children," Tullius said gently, feeling guilty about the small lie.
Septimus had purchased the slaves to satisfy his lust, and with his self-replication ability and immortality, the idea of having children had never crossed his mind. But now that one of his slaves could become pregnant, he could only take responsibility.
With his power and wealth constantly increasing, having many children would not be a burden. On the contrary, it would add vitality to his already long life.
After all, Cyra and the other slaves were like canaries in a cage, watched twenty-four hours a day. They had only ever had sexual relations with Septimus. The only men in the villa were clones with different personalities.
The other slaves also felt somewhat relieved upon learning Septimus's thoughts about the pregnancy. Cyra's fate could one day be theirs as well. All that remained was for Septimus to return and confirm it personally so that they could feel completely safe.
"The domina won't allow me to keep the baby," Cyra said suddenly, remembering the hostile looks Fausta had given them.
"Don't worry about the domina. The young master will handle it," Tullius replied confidently.
Cyra calmed down upon hearing his response. She only hoped to live well together with her newborn child. As a slave, she hoped her baby would be a boy and that he might one day have the opportunity to be free.
Upon learning the news, Septimus accelerated his objectives in Rome so that he could leave as soon as possible.
Two weeks passed.
Septimus was lying on a bed, holding Cyra, his hand resting lightly on her slightly swollen belly.
After completing his tasks in Rome and with the political situation far too tense, Septimus decided to return to Capua. He was eager to embrace his pregnant woman. Although he could achieve the same effect with another clone, he was not yet ready to deceive himself with his own replicas.
"Calm down, my dear. From now on, you are the most important woman in the entire family," Septimus said as he caressed Cyra's face and wiped away her tears.
"Young master, I'm afraid the domina won't agree," Cyra said, her large eyes filled with worry.
"Don't worry about Fausta. She's locked in one of the rooms. She's nothing more than a prisoner in this residence," Septimus replied casually, without further explanation.
Septimus could not tolerate the vain, arrogant, and irritable attitude of the spoiled young noblewoman Fausta. As a result, he had decided to confine her to one of the rooms in the residence, keeping five clone guards as her jailers.
Cyra felt relieved upon hearing Septimus's response. Through her friends Doris and Soria, she also knew that the domina had been dragged away by guards as soon as she stepped down from the carriage.
Septimus took several papyrus documents from his clothing and handed them to Cyra.
"From now on, you are no longer a slave. You are free, and you are my woman," Septimus said in an authoritative tone.
Cyra was stunned as she received the papyrus and heard Septimus's words.
Suddenly, her beautiful eyes filled with tears of happiness, and she hugged Septimus tightly.
After an hour of crying, Septimus's clothes were soaked with tears. He kissed Cyra on the forehead, left her resting on the bed, and went to change his clothes.
As soon as Septimus left the room, the two beautiful slaves, Doris and Soria, entered silently and surrounded Cyra, asking questions.
"You're free now!" the two slaves exclaimed in surprise as they looked at the papyrus documents granting Cyra her freedom.
"Yes, the young master gave me my freedom. He said his child cannot be a slave, and neither can the child's mother," Cyra replied with a joyful smile, filled with pride at her change in social status.
Septimus's views on children quickly became known among all the slaves. They also felt relieved to learn that Fausta had been locked in one of the residence's rooms, guarded twenty-four hours a day like a prisoner.
Septimus noticed that the slaves became more proactive in sexual relations. If not for his modified body, he would not have been able to keep up with all the encounters. Even so, he decided to limit his sexual activities so as not to feel physically overwhelmed.
Taking advantage of the peace with Rome, Septimus purchased villas and estates near his own, expanding his territory.
Septimus considered it the right moment to establish his clones' identities as vassals of his family, which would allow him to justify the origin of his legions in the future.
Although Septimus did not need to provide explanations, given his power to confront Rome, he considered this a good form of camouflage, one that would allow him to enjoy this period of time.