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C1443

It was a body of water inside a building surrounded by intricately sculpted pillars made of granite. An open-air wonder that allowed one to see the stars in the sky.

What immediately caught the eye of this place was the slightly swaying water that gave off a faint steam, which brought about a mystical atmosphere in the area.

"You're here, Klea? Come join me," said Julian as he looked at her. A cheeky smirk hanging on his lips as if challenging her to enter.

If she were to be honest, Klea actually intended to do just that without even being dared to. The reason was because she was interested in testing the water. After all, it was only possible to be built thanks to the aqueduct she helped create.

Hence, she decisively took off her clothes, and stepped into the bath, doing so without the slightest hesitation. It was clear that her bold actions caught the Roman off guard, given the look on his face.

The two of them were sitting in the bath facing each other, a distance of ten meters separating them. More than half of their bodies were submerged in the warm pool of water, obscuring their private parts from prying eyes.

Moments after, a group of beautiful girls entered the premises with ceramic pots in their hands.

The girls slowly tilted the pots in their hands, pouring hot water into the bath, causing the water to become warmer and at the same time enhancing the fragrance of the flowers floating in the bath.

Another group of beautiful girls made their entrance, carrying plates of fruit and wine. One of them leaned over and quickly refilled Julian's empty cup, which he immediately emptied by downing it in one go. A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he felt the liquid slide down his throat.

As for Klea, she didn't touch her wine, instead she stayed still, staring at the garden of stars above her., She took in the feeling the pleasantly warm water caressing her body, and the pleasant smell of various flowers, Klea couldn't help but feel a sense of relaxation like never before.

"Do you agree with me now?" said Julian, starting the conversation. "This... enjoying these kinds of things is just as important..."

Not wanting to give the Roman the feeling of satisfaction from being proven right, Klea nonchalantly said, "Well, what you just did is a completely different thing."

Her response drew a chuckle from Julian as he raised his eyebrows in an intrigued manner and said, "You mean sex? ...What's so different about it? It is one of the worldly pleasures, am I wrong?"

"Sure, it's the same," replied Klea before rolling her eyes. "If you consider people to be the same as animals, that is."

"So how is yours different?" Julian quickly responded. He was silent for a moment before adding, "Is it love?" Staring at her, he said, "Love makes it different?"

The question quickly reminded Klea of Emery, and distracted her from enjoying the bath. With an indescribable gaze, she said, "The way you treated your wives.. What do you know about love?"

As if he had expected such a question, Julian responded in a casual manner. "That's because I don't love them.. What's more, I married them for an entirely different reason."

"What reason?" She sharply asked. "To add to your collections of things you have conquered?"

"No, no... of course not.." Looking into her eyes, he said with a smile, "They are not worth conquering at all."

Again, Julian's arrogant answer didn't fail to irk her. "What is it then? For what reason did you marry them?"

"You really don't know the answer?" the Roman chuckled for a while before saying, "It's for a similar reason as building the academy actually. They're all daughters of important figures of Rome. Marrying them provides mutual benefits, to me and the kingdom as well"

'So... having sex with them is considered mutual benefit too then" Klea replied with a mocking tone

Julian however stayed serious as he said "Laying with them is even more important than just keeping the kingdom at peace"

Klea was ready to laugh, but was suddenly stunned hearing his next word.

"Offsprings. I need stronger offspring. I'm really hoping for a son born from my blood will become someone as strong as me..."

The unexpected revelation really shocked her. She did know that the children born of a magus would tend to have a better competency in spirit energy. Klea also knew that Julian's first and second wives were already conceiving his child; that was probably the reason as to why he had taken a third wife already.

"You... I don't know if you are crazy or a genius for really doing this."

Julian smiled at those words of hers. He took another chug of his wine before he put it down and walked across the bath, slowly but surely closing in on her as he spoke with a whisper.

"I might be crazy... but don't tell me that I don't understand love... I do know love... in fact... I have known this girl for years, and we have never been this close to each other.. Sadly... that girl loves someone else and never once looked at me."

Klea exhaled a deep sigh before she whispered back. "I think... I sincerely think that you should forget about this girl and look for someone else."

The Roman took a step back, laughed, and said, "Yes, you are right as always... I just can't stop thinking how perfect we are for each other. Think about it, the wedding of the century. People will bow down to welcome the king and queen of the new world!!"

Klea was getting worried seeing his behavior and thus she said, "Julian, you're drunk.. You're not thinking straight right now."

"Drunk?! No! What do you mean by drunk?! I can't be drunk!" A glint flashed in his eyes as he stared at her. "I have never been so clear about my goal.. never been this open about myself." He started to approach Klea again while saying, "Think... about it, we are a great match..."

Julian's hands moved to Klea's body, touching her flawless neck. Longing was clear in his eyes as he leaned closer ready to kiss her...

However, just as their lips were about to touch, the hot bath suddenly turned into freezing ice, halting his advance from going any further. Before he could do anything, everything suddenly went dark.

Klea had launched a spirit attack that managed to knock Roman out of his lustful reverie. Following that, she quickly left the bathhouse with a complex feeling.

"Julian you fool! You are ruining this!"

To be continued