GAIUS

This evening had been a farce. The mother, babbling like a waterfall, had strategically managed, or rather forced Gaius to share a seat with the older daughter, and he had to endure it without complaint. Not only did the girl shamelessly throw herself at him by complimenting everything, from the luxurious furniture to the exquisite dishes, but she was also audacious enough to toy with his toga and comment on his masculine physique. He could see through her lies, which none other than her mother had whispered in her ear in the days prior. There was nothing in his nature that could ever please a spoiled girl like her, aside from his family name and the privileges that would entail, and she would regret joining this union sooner rather than later.

In the atrium, the mother was bombarding his father with praises and wishes about how fortunate his son must be to marry such a docile and doe-eyed girl, while her husband stood acquiescently next to her and allowed her to embarrass herself and his family. The girl and the brother had already left the premises, presumably dawdling on the carrying chair for their mother's mouth to run dry. 

Only Lucretia had lingered to see this travesty through. If she had any reservations about the wedding, she hadn't brought them up to her family by the looks of the ideal gathering. Lucretia had been reserved for most of the dinner, and if she wasn't speaking, she had thrown hostile glares in his direction. Suits her right. At one point, she had a brief conversation with Titus. Gaius wondered what they had discussed since he was shackled to the opposite side of the dining hall, and Titus had the benefit of the insignificant younger brother who was allowed to frolic with whoever he wished. 

Finally, the guests took their leave. Mother and father, too engrossed in their pursuits, left Lucretia to her own devices. She seemed quite lost, alone in the shadows of the pillars. Even though she and her sister looked alike, they could not have been more opposite. Gaius almost had to grin at their masquerade, one sister a trained seductress, the other a Vestal Virgin. It wasn't only their contrasting attire but their personalities as well. During the night, the girl, yet bold in her approach to entice him, had coy manners, as if she questioned her every move, too frightened of unforeseen outcomes. However, Lucretia, quiet as a mouse throughout the whole event, had radiated a burning vengeance that even he had sensed across the room.

"Why didn't you tell them?" Gaius approached Lucretia. Fearfully startled, Lucretia ducked further into the darkness. His proximity kindled a vehemence in her eyes that he narrowly deciphered as her veil shielded the sparse glow of the moribund flames on her face.

"Who says I didn't?" Lucretia threatened.

Liar, he thought. Her father would have ended the arrangement instantly, and her brother, not a man of intellect but a protector, would have repaid Gaius tenfold for his transgression. On second thought, he wished Lucretia had shared his misdeed.

Damned be his father's retribution. There was not much in life he cared for. His existence had been deplorable ever since his childhood. Dying in a war as his father's servant would grant him his coveted salvation.

But she had not. Why wouldn't she confess her grief? She must have faith in Titus to keep Gaius in line. Her reaction showed she feared him, but not enough to put an end to the engagement.

Rooted to the spot, she hadn't joined her family.

"I'm not surprised. This alliance benefits your family, so why would you even breathe a word? You plebs do anything for money."

"Perchance, but your father is eager to get his hands on my family's properties. From my experience, patricians' greed exceeds any common man's want."

"That is noble, coming from you," he invaded her space, creeping closer than she might tolerate and poking the golden pendant dangling from her ear. "When your mother wants nothing more than to be like us."

"Don't you dare come any closer!" she hissed and stepped back.

"I won't befall you," he eyed her. "For now. Titus made me promise to forsake any indecent behavior. Even though, I crave-" he trailed down her neck and spotted his fingerprints branding her skin.

Embarrassment flashed across her face as she pulled her veil tighter around her neck.

Delight should have been the appropriate emotion, marking her with his hand for all the world to see, but all he could feel was remorse. He was not a good man. Adele was proof enough. Only misfortune and misery sprung from his hand.

"You should leave," he clamored the last word. "Leave!"

"She was surprised by his weary statement, and the tension pulsating in her stiff shoulders eased.

He turned towards the steps, ready to leave the evening behind him and fall into a dreamless sleep, but Lucretia grabbed him by the wrist, forcing him to face her again.

"This marriage is the last thing I desire. How could I let my guileless sister unify with a soulless monster like you? I could never forgive myself for not stifling a fate worse than death. I would rather face ruin than ever be tied to you."

"At least, we agree on one aspect."

For a second, a puzzled look washed over her face as she realized his shared discontent with the whole situation.

"Then why don't you put an end to it? As a man, you should have a say and prevent it."

She was still clutching his wrist with force.

He stared at it, looked up at her, and narrowed his eyes.

"Don't you think I would have done that long ago?" He tore his hand free with a brutish yank.

He stalked towards her. With no place to run, her back clashed against the wall. There was no escape for her now. She was caged between him and the wall. She was at his mercy. A whiff of her saccharine lavender perfume crept up his nose, a scent he wanted to detest, banish; to never invade his conscience and render him powerless.

"You're as useless as any other boy," Lucretia's voice was barely a whisper, but these few words stunk as harsh as if she had screamed them to humiliate him.

"Gaius's palms pulsated against the serene wall, his face inches from hers. Time had slowed as if to foretell his next misstep. All he had to do was-

"Lucretia, there you are-" Lucretia's sister appeared at the portal but froze at their discovery.

One might suspect a pair of lovers embraced in a furtive caress. They were far from it, further than her sister could conceive.

The best way to disprove any assumption was by increasing the void between him and Lucretia. But he couldn't let her go, not now when she was right in front of him, right in his grasp.

"Be a man, and take destiny into your own hands," Lucretia declared only for him to hear. The moment of gravity had faded. She pushed him off and hurried past her sister into the night.