Chapter 19: Upcoming monster

(3rd person's POV)

Nero Claudius used to be a selfish and narcissistic tyrant who used to rule the greatest empire in the world but was now making her days as an ordinary housewife.

"Hmm~ Hmm~ hm~"

Nero hummed a melody while cutting some vegetables. Though she wasn't used to cooking, she slowly learned her way as a proper wife.

Amidst her work, Nero looked towards a window into beautiful green plains and sighed.

Although she was now putting her efforts into becoming a housewife, Nero was a woman who used to do whatever she liked. She had wealth and luxury. She was used to spending her time in leisure, bath with joy and everyone's attention.

Sometimes she wanted to return to the palace and take over the rule. Now that her mental condition had improved, she could rule over her people as a better king.

"Hehe, nah~!" Nero chuckled and shook her head.

Although Nero was very much a people's idol, her current life was also blissful, especially the time with her lover and husband, Tacitus/Titus.

Nero herself knew how unbearable she was in the court. Not a single person had ever spent a whole day with her because of her unjust loud nature, but Tacitus had exhausted his life with Nero for 8 years!

Despite all her shenanigans, Tacitus still loved Nero. Even now, Tacitus would work tirelessly to earn income and spend time with her. His life started with Nero and ended with Nero.

She couldn't ask no one better than him.

However, there was just one problem with Tacitus. It was his inhuman libido.

It had been 2 months since Nero had her first time with Tacitus, and once Tacitus had lost a fight in bed. The guy from the future would never get exhausted. Nero could do so much only to calm him down after a minimum of seven rounds.

Even Tacitus was confused about how it was possible since Nero had higher stamina yet always got lost in the war.

Tacitus would go on for weeks without stopping. Sometimes they would have sex for the whole day, like when they eating dinner, taking baths, or cleaning the house. Tacitus doesn't stop.

Nero even suggested Tacitus hook up with other women to reduce his lust, but Tacitus refused to make out with any other woman. Nero felt good that Tacitus was loyal to her, but his unusual sex drive was getting out of hand. Nero hated having concubines, but now she was considering her options.

However, Tacitus also knew about this problem and thus had now fixed the day for their lovemaking. He would only spend his lust on Sundays.

And today, it was Sunday.

"Ah?"

Taken by surprise, Nero saw two hands suddenly start fondling her breasts from behind.

"Sup, blondie." Someone whispered in Nero's ear from behind, but someone already started kissing her nape before she could respond.

"Jeez…" Nero sighed with a weak smile. The person was certainly her husband, Tacitus.

With those words, Tacitus started kissing more intensely with his hands roaming all around her body. Nero had no idea how Tacitus was so good at everything related to sex. If Tacitus had said that he was blessed by gods of love, she would have believed him.

And so, with a tight moan, Nero's legs gave up but before she could fall, Tacitus picked her up in princess carry.

"Hehe, don't blame me. Your majesty looks just so delicious." Tacitus chuckled.

"Idiot…" Nero pouted with rosy cheeks and averted her gazes.

"Oh my~! Looks like your majesty is upset about her defeat. Please forgive me."

Nero sighed and looked into his eyes. She could see some kind of heart symbol in his eyes. Those were the signs of the zone, a phase where all Tacitus could think was about Nero and her body and nothing else.

"It is so hard to be beautiful, you know." Nero sighed and shook her head, smiling helplessly, "Come here."

With those words, she closed her eyes. Following her hints, Tacitus closed the distance and sealed her lips with his. While doing so, Tacitus walked into the bedroom before closing the door. What followed afterward were endless echoes of moans and rage.

---

"Where am I?!" Nero asked herself when she opened her eyes and found herself in an unknown yet nostalgic place.

She was on her usual queen size bed. The room also appeared to be quite extensive.

That's right. It was Nero's room in her palace in Roman Empire.

"Wait, how did I get here…?"

At first, Nero was confused about why she was even questioning this since she was in her own room. But then the memory came right then where she had a lovemaking with her husband, Tacitus. After that, she went to her slumber in his arms. So, what was she doing in her old place?

"Is this a dream?"

An average person couldn't question whether he was in a dream, yet Nero did. And for some reason, this dream felt surreal.

The reason was the grim air in the room. Nero felt a sense of dread wherever she looked. She didn't know if it was night or day since the light in her room was red.

As if her body desired an answer, her legs started moving.

She left her room and saw a long corridor leading to the main balcony where she used to address her subjects.

She knew she wasn't in her palace since the structure was different. It was because the corridor was connected with several rooms from which shrieks and screams of people could be heard, Nero.

When Nero saw what was happening in one of those rooms, she almost fell to her knees with shock and horror.

Several children, carrying big smiles, were chased and eaten by ferocious beasts alive. Some were just born babies whose mothers were watching their children being torn into pieces. After these beasts were done eating their meals and grew big, they were slaughtered by some men in dark armor and then fed to the thousands of wealthy spectators watching this gruesome act.

Those were the 'desires' coming from the ugliness of humans. Desire to watch someone suffer and die as gruesomely as possible.

"No… please… strop…" Nero cried for them to stop this, but she couldn't move.

Her legs then took her to the next room. It wasn't any different from the previous one.

A man was tied to a table and surrounded by other men and women holding utensils. They then tear apart that man's flesh before putting the meat in their mouth.

It was also the 'desire'; the desire to eat the flesh of other humans.

Again Nero tried to stop such an inhumane event but failed.

Her body took her to the next room, then another room, followed by similar grotesque and hideous acts being displayed to feed human desires.

Theft, harassment, ra*e, torture, human experimentation; these rooms were like a separate reality where humans are fulfilling their ugly desires at the cost of other humans. A society where evil triumphs and good rots.

However, those atrocities were nothing compared to what Nero would soon see at the edge of her balcony.

Thousands upon thousands of Romans were hanged on crosses all across the field. Their skin was cut open from their back, inviting carnivorous birds to eat their flesh. Insects were also eating them from the bottom.

What's worse? They were all alive.

Some were moaning with pain, some were begging for mercy, and some were asking for death. Some were opposition members, like Senate, while others were her precious officers and ordinary people who stood with Nero during her rule. But most importantly, all of them were her people.

And among those, the closest of them was Nero's husband, Tacitus.

"TACITUS!!!!!" With all her might, Nero yelled the name of her love. She wanted to run and save Tacitus from his agony, but her body refused to move. All she could do was shed tears of blood and watch as her husband and people were tortured.

And amidst all of this, Nero heard laughter.

Turning her head around, Nero saw herself. No, it was another Nero Claudius wearing similar red attire, but unlike her, this Nero had crimson eyes and razor-sharp nails drenched in blood.

"Isn't this what you wished for, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus?" The Other Nero smirked as she walked close to Main Nero.

"I have never desired such a thing!! And free my people and Tacitus this instant!" Enraged, Nero yelled at the Other Nero as loud as she could. She moved a little with force but was still paralyzed to take proper action.

"Free them? What are you saying, my innocent 'me'? Isn't this what you desired? Look at the hate in your lover's eyes?"

Just like others, Tacitus was also getting eaten alive, but unlike others, in his eyes, he was cursing Nero. Words weren't needed as Nero could understand everything Tacitus wanted to say.

"Hehe, but hey, there is more to it. I have yet to finish my art~" The Other Nero twirled in delight and clapped her hands.

Real Nero only remained confused for a few seconds as the field in front of her started to write. Everyone in the area began to burn. Their screams echoed throughout Rome as the smoke of their burning flesh rose in the sky. Among them was Tacitus, screaming and crying… and cursing Nero.

"Stop….!!!" Nero gritted her teeth, but she couldn't do anything. All she could do was watch as her people and loved ones were being burned alive right before her eyes.

"It is your fault…" Nero then turned to the Other Nero and gritted her teeth.

"It is all your fault!!!" Nero last moved Nero finally moved and jumped straight on the Other Nero, gripping her neck tightly. "I will not forgive you!!!"

Nero cried and used all her strength to choke the red eyes and blond-haired woman before her, but to Nero's horror, the Other Nero remained unaffected and sneering.

"Think what you think, o my foolish self, but this is true. This is what you want. See you in the depths of despair."

With those words, everything blacked out.

---

"!!!!" As if finally able to breathe, Nero woke up in shambles on her bed. She was drenched in sweat as if she just came out of hell.

"N-Nero! Are you all right?!"

Just then, Nero heard the most soothing voice in her life. It was Tacitus, her beloved husband, alive and breathing.

Without any wait, Nero jumped and hugged Tacitus, her tears falling. Tacitus, in return, also embraced Nero.

'Thank goodness, it was just a nightmare….'

Nero didn't know why it happened, but she was glad it was just a nightmare.

After the brief heartwarming embrace, Nero looked at Tacitus and caressed his cheek.

"I… thought I had lost you, Tacitus."

"Y-yeah… it must be a nightmare…."

At first, everything seemed normal until Nero saw Tacitus's torn shirt. His voice was also vibrant as if coming from a horrific war.

"Hm?" Nero lowered her eyes and saw several finger marks on his neck. She widened her eyes and looked at Tacitus, "I did, didn't I?"

"No, it was not your fault! It was just a nightmare and nothing else. Look…"

Tacitus went on to comfort Nero, but she knew what had happened.

It was not just a simple nightmare but a possible reality, and that red eyes Nero wasn't just her but her inner monster, her evil or the beast.