Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 87 ~ Coniuratio

Aulus Aemilius Paetus had made it a habit after every birth he attended to plunge into the colourful hustle and bustle of the Suburba to forget the experiences. For this side of his profession was deeply abhorrent to him.
Although the birth itself had not been easy, his patient had survived. This circumstance would make a normal doctor happy, but Aulus Aemilius Paetus was no ordinary doctor. He had not gone to this woman to bring her child into the world, but to eliminate her. For this woman completely upset the state with her unnatural ways. The position of the family into which she had married was un-Roman. His only consolation was that this woman had at least not produced another heir for this damned family. As he held the little girl in his arms, he had almost felt something like satisfaction. Apparently the gods had not quite left Rome yet.
The Suburba was known for the myriad ways in which one could escape the dreariness and monotony of everyday Roman life. But during the Saturnalia, the Suburba was transformed into a place where even the last spark of virtue disappeared. What Aulus Aemlius Paetus did not know was that in the house to his left had once lived the one of the sexes he hated so much, the one who had made his family's unnatural rise possible in the first place. Presumably, this knowledge would have quenched his enthusiasm for the Suburba.
Full of anticipation, he turned into the narrow lane behind the house and was already thinking about the many possibilities he could forget about. Suddenly he stopped. Something was wrong. Alarmed, he looked around in all directions and realised what was irritating him so. Whereas just a few moments ago he had been surrounded by people, this small alley now seemed eerily empty. The familiar sound of footsteps reached his ears. He was not alone after all.
"Are you avoiding me, Aulus?" a voice whispered behind him, and his insides went abruptly cold. How had she found him so quickly? He hadn't had time to think about how he could possibly explain himself to her.
Slightly puzzled, he turned his head and looked down at her. Only her dark, cruel eyes flashed out from under the dark veil she wore demurely on her head. Looking at her like that, one could almost mistake her for one of the decent wives he was regularly called to see. But she really wasn't.
"I've been busy," he returned gruffly, and would have liked to turn on his heel, but her small, pale handheld him back.
"You failed," she stated ominously softly. "Again."
He quickly looked around on all sides, but they two were still the only people in this dodgy alley. His heart was pounding up to his throat. This woman had always panicked him with her mere presence, and he had painfully learned that it was better to please her. That was the only reason he had agreed to work for her. Even if, of course, the generous payment he regularly received from her had also played a not inconsiderable role in his actions.
"This time it wasn't my fault," he affirmed in a hushed voice, trying to remain calm. "No one responded to my letters in time. They thought it was a Saturnalia joke and preferred to continue enjoying the festival with their families. I waited as long as I could and then when I got to her place, she made me wash my hands. The attack failed because no one could play their intended role. We will have to come up with a new plan."
She remained silent for a while, glaring coldly at him. She had probably been a very beautiful woman in the past, but after her fall it had melted away along with her reputation. Of course, she still imagined herself to be above people like him. But unlike her, he did not belong to the dregs of this city.
"Nevertheless, you have failed. I could overlook your confusion because the loss of his favourite sister at least hit him hard. I could also just about forgive your absence at her first birth, but now you have proved to me that you have no further use for me at all," she breathed and by the time he understood the implications of her words, it was already too late. He did not see the blade flash in the dim light of the alley as she pulled the dagger from her sleeve with a smooth movement and plunged the blade straight into his heart. It happened so quickly that he didn't even feel the weapon penetrate deep into his skin. Instead, he felt a pain in his chest that he had never experienced before. Stunned, he stared at the blood pouring from the wound and knew he was lost. His legs gave way beneath him, and he felt the darkness threaten to overtake him. The malicious eyes of his murderess were the last thing he saw in this life.