7 Chapter 7: An end of life

(Titus's (Tacitus) POV)

Seneca jumped right then, grabbing my head and forcing me to kneel.

"Your majesty, please forgive this child!! He was being ignorant!!!" Seneca pleaded and glared at me for the same.

"Y-yes, please forgive me, your majesty!! I-I didn't know the sacred act and acted rudely!! Please forgive me this one time!! Punish if you deem must!"

Any punishment except for castration.

Nero stared down at us for a couple of seconds before she coughed with a rosy face and said, "W-well you were rude, but since you were ignorant of the way around here, I will let you go, u-umu..."

I raised my brow, wondering how shameless she could be. She was also enjoying the smooching!

"But what's done is done, and since I am a benevolent emperor, I shall let this matter rub off as well. However, don't let the word of this event leave this castle, understand?!" Nero glared at Seneca and me.

"YES…!" Both of us nodded our heads repeatedly.

"And all of you remember that too. Let me hear something about this, and I will have all of you castrated!!" Nero said the same to all other ministers too. Upon receiving the response from her ministers. Nero smiled with her usual 'umu' and walked back towards us.

Nero then tasked Seneca to attend the ministers' work and dragged me with her. She wanted to show me the castle to familiarize me with the place since I would be staying there.

Unlike Seneca, my quarter was a little far away from the castle, so I will be given a temporary residence in my office.

"Hey!" While walking in a hallway, Nero called me when I was just staring at her ass. What? I was a teen at my puberty.

"Yes?"

"What was that act called?" She asked without looking towards me, but I could see her ears red.

Seriously, why is she bringing up that topic?!

"It's called… French kiss."

"French kiss? Are you someone from France?!"

"N-no…! I just saw a couple doing this somewhere. When I asked, they called it a French kiss!" I tried to clarify. I think France was under Roman Empire rule, but I didn't know for sure. The last thing I wanted was to be declared a traitor or spy.

"Oh… um…" Nero nodded with somewhat pale rosy cheeks.

'She looks so cute…! UwU~! No, get a hold of yourself, Titus! She is not someone to be messed with.'

Nero looked very cute. My uncharted hormones almost jumped on my face, but I held back from hugging her from behind and kissing her again.

The last thing I wanted was to involve with Nero romantically. I was aware of my limits and mission and why I came to this reality in the first place.

Besides, I didn't know the history of this version of Nero. In my timeline, male Nero hated Seneca and forced him to commit suicide, but here, this girl considers Nero her father figure.

"Do you think Octavia will calm down if I French kiss her?"

"…"

I had no idea how homosexual romance works, so I remained silent.

But I was confused. Didn't Nero marry Octavia because of forced marriage by her mother? In legends, it is said that Nero's true love was Poppaea Sabina. So, I was a little taken aback by this discovery.

Curious, I asked, "Forgive me, your majesty, for praying into internal affairs but isn't her majesty's marriage was Empress Octavia forced by your mother? This is just a rumor I heard from some officials in the city."

Upon hearing her mother's name, Nero's face distorted, "It is! That cu*t of my mother was the sole reason for screwing my life!!" She then took a deep breath and calmed down, "However, it doesn't matter. Octavia is my wife, no matter what the circumstances were. I have to take care of her as my responsibility. If I couldn't even care for my wife, how would I look after my people?"

!!

I was taken aback by her firm resolve. No, her sole ego forged the righteousness and her love for people.

Whether her resolve was right or wrong, it didn't stop me from stepping forward and caressing Nero's cheek.

"It is a wonderful resolve for a king, Nero. I loved it." I smiled and gently rubbed her soft cheek.

…Ah, crap! I did it again!!

I was about to retrieve my hand when Nero held it and rubbed her cheek.

"Thank you, Tacitus." Her soft gesture gave the impression that she really desired a compliment.

She then released my hand and coughed with a rosy cheek, "Ahem, since you have already familiarized yourself with the castle. It is time for you to witness the might of my superior talent! Umu! Let's go to my super awesome art room!!"

"Wha- wait!!" Without listening, she dragged me to another room.

It was another beautifully crafted room with all kinds of ancient musical instruments and painting boards.

Ignoring the monstrosity paintings, I was in awe, witnessing the instrument that I only used to hear appearing in legends. Someone them don't even exist in modern times.

"This is my very own painting. It is called Perfect Almighty Super Emperor Nero!!" She boasted the name of a painting worse than a drawing of a kindergarten student.

"Oh… it's… good." I faked a smile and praised her painting. To be honest, I wanted to tear down that ugly monstrosity, but I stopped myself from doing so.

I knew Nero from legends, who loved arts and music, so I wasn't surprised. However, I needed to work on her 'art' a little since I didn't want others to see these ugly paintings of Nero.

"Now sit down and listen to my new song. Since I am feeling great, I will let you listen to my greatest song! Make sure to applaud for every end!"

I nodded with a smile but was a little nervous inside. I didn't know why but my instincts were screaming to run from this place. Well, what could possibly go wrong?

And so I decided to listen to whatever she sang. It was a wrong decision.

One hour later!

"HASHIRE SORI YO

KAZE NO YOU NI

TSUKIMIHARA WO

PADORU!!!!! PADORU!!!!!!!!!"

"WOoo!!" I cheered and clapped my hands like a lunatic.

I had no idea what she was saying anymore since I stopped hearing anything a long time ago.

"Oi, are you even listening?!" Nero called me after looking at my eyes rolling.

"Yeah! Encore!!" I cheered and clapped again. Saying that my soul gradually left the body.

"Tacitus!"

What happened afterwards, I had no clue.

---

(Nero's POV)

"Argh! Why didn't I stop myself? What came over me!?"

Today, when Tacitus kissed me, my mind went blank. I lost all my sense, pride, and my title as the emperor of the mighty Roman Empire the moment Tacitus's lips met mine.

What was I even thinking, letting him take the lead like that?!

"I should've been in control, not him!"

I couldn't help but feel disappointed in myself. I should've been the one taking the lead, not him. I felt like I'd turned into a blushing maiden, letting Tacitus have his way with my body.

I can still feel Tacitus's touch all over me when he reached for my backside. Ah~

"What's this...?" As he touched me lower, I saw a milky substance escaping from one of my openings.

Is this what they call love's nectar when you're filled with desire?

"Damn it! Why can't I get it out of my head?!!!"

Late at night, I used to be plagued by headaches, but now, my mind was consumed by thoughts of Tacitus.

It wasn't a bad feeling.

---

(Titus's POV)

I woke up in Seneca's house. I guess he brought me here after I passed out.

Later, I applied some honey wax to my ears to help them heal.

"Here. Have this. It'll make you feel better," Seneca said, placing a glass of herbal tea on the table. "What happened after she took you away?"

"She showed me around the castle before we entered her 'art' room. I don't know what happened afterward, and honestly, I'd rather not remember."

There are some things you're better off forgetting before it's too late.

"By the way, what's happening with Empress Octavia? I only saw her once at court, and she's been absent from the office too," I inquired.

Since Nero's answer wasn't clear, I turned to Seneca.

"Sigh. She's just another casualty in the power struggle. Despite being an empress, her title was little more than a name. Nero, her highness, fails to grasp that Octavia needs a role in the court beyond being a mere figurehead."

It's the classic idea of confining a woman in the name of protection, huh? I wasn't surprised.

"Moreover, those Senate vultures never miss a chance to torment the poor child. They vent their frustration with Nero on Octavia," Seneca added, his expression grim. He didn't even use honorifics for the couple.

I nodded and continued discussing various political and other matters.

I knew Octavia's days in this world were numbered.

And, just a month later, Empress Octavia took her own life in her chambers.

(AN: Don't take the song too seriously; it's just for comedic effect.)