Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 59 Family
Although the treatment of slaves in Rome was relatively better than in Greece or other places, especially for slaves living in Rome, they still had hope of regaining their freedom in this lifetime if they worked hard, but this did not mean that the living conditions of slaves were good.

On the exhibition stands and in cages, many people in shackles and chains were picked and chosen, and they became commodities. Fortunately, this was still a relatively decent place in the capital, so the condition of these people did not look particularly bad. They did not have enough food but they were not starving to death.

Orville had seen worse scenes than this, so his emotions were not very volatile. Passing through the sparse crowd, Orville came to a place with better decoration.

Although they were all slaves, their status and position would vary. Those who were skilled, strong, young and beautiful could basically eat half full, but those who were sold as tutors and had high levels of knowledge were different. Apart from the shackles, they were dressed decently, generally looked in good spirits, and were well taken care of.

Even the head of a family would have to be polite after hiring such a teacher, after all, he is the one teaching his children knowledge. Not to mention these slave traders, an excellent teacher could be sold for the price of a sea view villa in the suburbs of Rome, and it is unclear what dignitaries he will serve in the future. For the sake of one's future, it is always right to be polite.

Orville selected the most honest people with relatively high knowledge attribute points from several senior talents who knew Aramaic and Latin, and then took them out of the market.
-
The city was huge, and it was already noon when Orville finished his work, so he returned to the Flavi Mansion and had lunch with his family members.

The upper class in Rome were accustomed to eating while half-lying down. There were several long bed-like things around a long table. Vespa was half-lying on his side in the middle, with other family members on his left and right.

On one side were Orville and Tia, and on the other was a woman in her forties or fifties, with a girl who looked to be in her teens next to her.

Tia's biological mother died very early. After that, Vespa did not marry a new wife. Instead, he took one of his mistresses home, treated her like his wife, and asked her to take care of the household chores and manage the house.

This woman named Zenis had also been with Vespa for more than ten or twenty years. She was of humble origins and was a freed slave who worked as a scribe for a noblewoman. She had been with Vespa since before he became successful, so she could be considered a relatively alternative "wife of the same hardships".

Orville felt that she was humble and capable, and was very qualified to be the mother of the family. It was probably for this reason that Vespa took her to live with him. Such a role was probably indispensable for a family with children.

Next to her was Tia's sister, Vespa's other daughter, Domitia. Her features were similar to Tia's, but she was a little slimmer, also had blonde hair and a pretty face, but her temperament was completely different from Tia's. The former was a mixture of heroism, sharpness, murderous intent, and inner confidence, while the latter looked like a noble child who grew up in a greenhouse and lived a life of luxury.

Seeing that Orville was observing her, Domitia did not hide her hostility and glared at Orville fiercely.

Orville didn't pay any attention to her at all. He pouted and looked away. He didn't like this little girl because he seriously suspected that Tia might be killed by her own sister in the future. He had been secretly planning how to kill her in his mind. Although he might not implement it, it was really hard to make her smile. He didn't have such a strong ability to hide. He couldn't hide his eyes when he wanted to kill someone.

Vespa, who was sitting in the middle, saw all of this, but he did not point it out. Instead, he smiled and said, "It has been a long time since the family has been so lively. I guess you two will have to stay in Rome for a while, so just relax. I will naturally find a way to solve the financial problem. It won't be a big problem. You two just need to rest assured and chat with me occasionally. That's all. Don't think too much. After the war, what you need most is a good rest.

Domitia, haven't you been missing your sister for a long time? It's been almost three years since you two last met, so why not catch up? You don't have to be too unfamiliar with Orville, he's a very good guy, you'll naturally like him after getting to know him for a long time. "The head of the family spoke, everyone nodded, and then everyone started to eat.

Although he was an emperor, Vespa's lunch was not exaggeratedly sumptuous - bread, cereal porridge, several kinds of pickled vegetables, pork legs, fish, cheese, and a salad made of hummus and mixed vegetables. It was basically the same as that of ordinary rich people in Rome. There was no difference in the ingredients for the people eating at the same table. It was a very friendly and easy-going dining table.

Vespa and Zenis would occasionally bring up some topics, mostly trivial matters of the family or the latest gossip in Rome. Vespa was not the kind of person who would bring up political topics at the family dinner table. What he would talk about was either a certain nobleman being caught cheating in disguise or a certain senator paying for a grand new theater. They were all harmless and interesting things that everyone could talk about and there would not be any awkward silence.

Orville felt much more relaxed because of this. This was the atmosphere of a normal family, but in Orville's view now, being normal was already a rare thing.

The people here didn't pay much attention to lunch. After a simple meal, Vespa stretched out his hand, and the servant beside him brought a bucket to clean his hands. The meal was over in about half an hour.

"I will discuss financial issues in the Senate later, and by the way, I will try to get Tia into the ranks of the Senate elders. If you want to sit in, Orville, I can take you there as an attendant."

Strictly speaking, the commander of a commanding legion should be a member of the Senate, and members of the Senate should be over 30 years old. Vespa did something about this matter.

Originally, Tiya was just his chief captain, but when he arrived in Palfi, he dismissed the commander of the 12th Legion and appointed Tiya as the "acting commander". This created a fait accompli. Tiya commanded the legion and later commanded several legions to win battles.

Vespa planned to use this title to allow Tia to make an exception and enter the Senate early to become a senator. This was not difficult for him as an emperor, as there were hundreds of seats in the Senate.

Orville was also prepared for this, but he still rejected the other party's kindness: "I won't go. You should take me out less during public events. It's not a good thing for me to be in the limelight. I will take this opportunity to do something else."

Vespa stopped trying to persuade him, and instead seemed somewhat satisfied.

He didn't mind Orville being in the spotlight and making his presence felt, but the fact that he wanted to avoid suspicion showed that he had a high level of ideological awareness, which was always a good thing.

(End of this chapter)