The Seeds of a New Era

With the news that Pompeius' army had left Asia Minor, the Senate continued to meet in emergency sessions.

There wasn't much you could do even if you had a meeting all day.

The basic strategy was to move forward with the reforms and rally public support.

The response of the citizens was better than expected.

The citizens, who were about to be deprived of their freedom because they had no way to repay the debt, expressed their gratitude with tears in their eyes.

The shift in public opinion in favor of the Senate was tangible.

Thanks to this, Marcus suffered from hard work again without time to sleep.

From preparing to establish a bank to reviewing the implementation plans and bills of related systems to effectively promoting them to citizens, he does it all.

The banking system was a completely unfamiliar concept, so it was impossible to leave it to others.

Marcus had no choice but to do it himself, even if he reduced his sleep time.

On top of that, he was elected as Quaestor by a landslide, so he had to start preparing for the official duties that would start the following year.

At this point, he was running out of time, even with two bodies.

But with so much on his plate, something happened that completely distracted him.

The first person to notice was Spartacus' wife, Cellini.

Recently pregnant, she was always making late-night snacks for Marcus, despite his objections.

But one day, she said something strange.

"I've been noticing that Ms. Julia's behavior has been a little different than usual lately, and she seems a little uncomfortable, if I may be so bold."

"Is she feeling unwell?"

"No, it's not that, it's more like my behavior in the very early stages of my pregnancy."

"What, pregnant?"

He wondered if Cellini noticed, too, as she was starting to develop a slight pregnancy bump.

If it is true, it is not normal, but Marcus throws away the documents and hurriedly calls the doctor.

Nowadays, there is no such thing as an ultrasound or a pregnancy test, so a pregnancy test is usually done with a simple examination.

Folk methods from Egypt also came in handy.

A woman trying to determine if she is pregnant must fill her urine into two sacks of wheat and barley.

If the barley or wheat germinated, the woman who urinated on it was presumed to be pregnant.

This method was rather accurate.

This is because barley or wheat will not germinate in the urine of men or non-pregnant women.

There were cases where pregnant women did not germinate, but the probability of that was less than 30%.

Of course, the higher classes of society went to a doctor first before using such methods.

The doctor who was summoned to Crassus's mansion asked several questions that pointed to a possible pregnancy.

"Have you felt any changes in your sense of smell or taste recently?"

"Well... there was a time when the faint smell of fish suddenly felt disgusting."

"Are you sure the moon is not coming?" (Note: "The Moon" means the menstrual cycle)

"Yes. I think it's been about two months."

"Don't you feel tired more easily than usual and suddenly want to eat certain foods?"

"Yeah, that's why I've been feeling like eating a lot of sugary fruits and savory foods lately."

The entire room around Julia looked at her with expectant eyes.

In particular, Crassus and Tertulla almost seemed to want to dance.

Crassus asked solemnly, desperately suppressing the laughter that was about to leak out.

"What's your diagnosis?"

The doctor asked a few more questions and then made a thoughtful conclusion.

"I can't give you any guarantees, but my guess is that there's a good chance she could be pregnant, and you'll have to be especially careful in the earlier stages of pregnancy because miscarriages are common."

"Well, of course you have to be careful, hahaha!"

When the doctor's diagnosis came, Crassus couldn't contain his joy and burst out laughing.

Tertulla squeezed Julia's hand and said thank you repeatedly.

Cellini and Dana also cheered and wished Julia well in her pregnancy.

Spartacus also whispered his heartfelt congratulations to Marcus.

"You'll have to thank Julia for the wonderful things she's done for you."

"Huh? Ah.... Yeah."

Marcus, awakened by Spartacus' advice, approached Julia.

Unconsciously, his gaze traveled to her belly.

Julia gently patted her belly with the palm of her hand, her face full of joy and pride.

Before he knew it, Crassus was at Marcus's side, patting him on the shoulder.

"We'll excuse ourselves, and you two can have a little privacy on such an important day. Julia, congratulations and thank you so much. Take care of yourself and don't push yourself too hard from now on."

"Yes, father. I will never overdo it and take it easy."

"Yes, yes. If you need anything else, just ask. I can't wait to see Caesar's reaction to this at the Senate tomorrow. Hahaha!"

Crassus did not stop laughing until the moment he left the room, which he was so happy about.

Once everyone had left and the two of them were alone in the room, Marcus sat down next to the awkward Julia.

What should he say to her?

Good job, thank you, and other words swirled around in his head, but he couldn't get them out of his mouth.

"Why do you seem so nervous all of a sudden?"

Julia asked jokingly, but Marcus nodded reflexively.

"Nervous... Is that it?"

Most men don't realize it when they first find out their wife is pregnant.

Marcus was no different.

He has become cautious about touching his wife, who, just yesterday, he had no problem hugging and kissing.

Maybe it was because he heard the word miscarriage out of the doctor's mouth.

He even wondered if his last sleepover might have had an adverse effect on his baby.

"I've never seen that look on your face before, Mr. Marcus. You always have a certain look on your face that says everything is as expected."

"I get flustered and surprised by things that are new to me."

"Really? That's the first time I knew."

Julia smiled but did not remove her hand from her belly.

Marcus, who was staring at her, muttered to himself.

"Child...."

It wasn't unexpected. After all, they had done it many times before, so he knew it would be possible.

But an indescribable feeling filled his heart when it finally became a reality.

Despite the joy, he felt an awkward, inexplicable sense of unease creeping up on him.

Julia seemed happy but didn't know what was happening inside. After all, she was going to be a mother for the first time.

She could have been much more emotional than Marcus, as she was carrying a life in her body.

"Since you say you need to take it easy, do you think it's okay if I leave things to Danae for now?"

"It's not a problem, of course it is, and we shouldn't sleep in the same bed for a while. I'll get you a new bed tomorrow."

"Isn't that being too cautious, to say the least?"

"No. At least you have to be careful until you get into a stable period."

He vaguely recalls reading that the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy was considered stable, but he can't remember.

Marcus decided to look for a pregnancy and prenatal education book from tomorrow.

This is because medical knowledge in ancient times was unreliable.

Julia, in particular, needs to be treated with the utmost care, as she dies of childbirth in the historical record.

Unaware of this, Julia thought her husband was too worried, but she was also happy.

When it comes only to Julia, Marcus pays attention to something that could be called overreaction.

There isn't a wife in the world who wouldn't be happy to know that her husband is pampering her.

After looking at each other wordlessly for a while, they both spoke at the same time.

"I hope he is a wise son who resembles Marcus."

"If I had a daughter who looked like you, I wouldn't wanna wish for anything."

The two, who said the exact opposite wish, opened their eyes wide and tilted their heads.

Naturally, Julia was the one who panicked.

It's true that Rome had some of the best women's rights of any ancient state, but only in comparison to its neighbors.

Rome was also a patriarchal society, and it was natural to want your first child to be a man who could carry on the family name.

When he realized the obvious, Marcus felt bad.

He wants a daughter rather than a son because half of the modern father's emotions work, and the other half considers what happened later.

With her extraordinary powers of deduction, Julia was always inclined to ponder the meaning behind Marcus's words.

This time, after trying to decipher his intentions, she tilted her head meaningfully.

"Is it because ... wants to take over the family business?"

The answer was close to correct, but Marcus shook his head in denial. He didn't want to bother her with something that hadn't even been decided yet.

"No, I just said it because I thought it would be lovely to have a daughter who looks like you, so you don't have to give too much meaning."

"Is that so, but I'm sure your dad or mom would love a grandson...."

"So I should say I want a girl, so you can proudly carry a girl or a boy. Oh, I forgot to mention, shouldn't we go to his house at least once? Should I tell him that you need to be careful and that I'd like him to come?"

"Oh, I don't mind, I'm going to be riding in a lectica anyway, and the Bona Dea Festival is just around the corner, so I'm going to go to my father's official residence, so I can spend a little time with him before it starts."

"... Oh, right, I'd forgotten about that. You were once a priestess of Goddess Bona, weren't you?"

With the bank's establishment and the senators' counseling in preparation for Pompeius's return, there was little time for the credit system.

Add to that Julia's pregnancy, and the whole Bona Dea thing was completely out of his head.

The Bona Dea Festival was literally a festival in honor of the Goddess Bona.

The goddess Bona was a goddess strictly for women and was said to preside over childbirth.

The Goddess Festival was held once a year in May and December, with women from all walks of life being able to participate in May.

On the other hand, the December Goddess Festival was a sacred ritual that only women of aristocratic birth could participate in.

Both festivals were for women only, and men were never allowed to attend.

Even the pontifex maximus, who is in charge of the Roman religious community, was no exception.

The event itself was usually held at the official residence of the pontifex maximus, but the pontifex maximus had to stay at someone else's house during the Goddess Festival.

Instead, the Vesta priestesses, who were among the most revered in Rome, presided over the goddesses.

And if there were women in the family of the pontifex maximus, they too assisted the Vesta priestess in the preparation of the ritual.

Julia seemed to think that since she was the daughter of Caesar, the Pontifex Maximus, she should help prepare for the goddess festival.

Of course, Marcus didn't want her to move around because she had a child.

"You're not obligated to anyone in marriage, and you're not a virgin, so I think you should just take a rest."

"Shouldn't we go further because we have children? It's a celebration for the goddess who controls childbirth. Besides, my father will be relieved when I'm next to my grandmother. My stepmother is like...…. I'm a little relieved about this."

Julia lost her mother, Cornelia, while Marcus was out on a pirate mission.

The breakup was about two years later than the original history.

After his wife's funeral, Caesar remarried Sulla's granddaughter, Pompeia.

Pompeia was a beautiful woman with a great background, but she lacked a little intelligence.

Perhaps that's why Caesar's family, which boasts the best intellect in Rome, was a little out of touch.

Caesar's mother, Aurelia, suffered from headaches whenever her daughter-in-law showed short-thinking words and actions.

This was especially true when they had to prepare for important festivals like the Bona festival.

It wasn't unreasonable for Julia to think that she should help.

But Marcus was still not willing to allow Julia to join the festivities.

It wasn't just that he was worried it would be physically difficult.

He knows she will have a hard time with all the chaos that will happen at this goddess festival.

"If that's what you're thinking, why don't you just help set up the ritual and stay home on the actual day? It's going to get really heated when the festival starts, and that kind of atmosphere can be bad for a very early pregnancy."

"What? But it's an event by a goddess who organizes childbirth...…."

"The Goddess Bona would appreciate the work of those who organized the festival far more than those who participate in it, and I don't want you to overdo it."

As a modern man, Marcus naturally viewed Roman religious practices as superstitious.

He wanted to say that there's no penalty for not participating if they feel like it.

But that's just Marcus' point of view, not the average Roman's.

In this era, even the wisest of men harbored some sort of faith.

Therefore, he should not have shown any signs of denying the religious ritual itself.

Instead, he persuaded the goddess that he had put his utmost effort into it.

Though not as devout as the priestess, Julia was eventually swayed.

He thought it was not right for his husband to be stubborn until the end, when he wanted her to rest that much.

"Okay. Then I'll go to my father's official residence tomorrow and only help prepare for the ceremony. I'll come back here with my father because he has to vacate his official residence on the day of the event anyway. Then it'll be okay, right?"

"Of course. Thank you for listening to my insistence."

Marcus carefully put his hand around Julia's waist and kissed her.

Julia wrapped her arms around Marcus' neck and returned the kiss.

They soon fell asleep after having decided to sleep in the same bed until today.

Marcus watched Julia, who had fallen asleep peacefully beside him, as the night wore on.

'I'll be a father next year....'

Now the reality has sunk in, but he is still feeling a little overwhelmed.

'Can I be a good parent.'

Unconsciously, a bitter smile broke out.

He suddenly remembered his reaction to Spartacus when Cellini was pregnant.

He showed tears by saying thank you to his wife several times.

Marcus could understand the feeling. Still, it was impossible to show the same reaction.

As soon as he accepted the fact that he had a child, he felt a little ridiculous for bringing up the issue of gender.

There was never a sense of taking advantage of an unborn child.

Strictly speaking, it was close to worrying about the child's future.

He hopes the child to be born lives happily.

His heart was definitely in the right place.

As a parent, you'll make every effort to give your child a happy future.

'In order to do so, it must be clear whether it is a son or a daughter.'

There was room for a complete change in future plans depending on what gender the child was born.

In ancient societies, creating a stable political landscape was essential to ensuring the well-being of your children.

In that sense, it was easier for him to see his future plans with his daughter, as he explained to Julia.

On the contrary, you will have a lot to consider if you have a son.

'If she's born next year, that would make him a year older than her....'

Marcus closed his eyes, and the face of a newborn baby came to his mind.

When Catilina was elected consul last year, the Senate held almost daily contingency meetings.

Sensing the crisis, senators showed up at a set time every day to discuss measures.

Due to the tense social atmosphere, people didn't care about minor problems.

The same was true on September 23, when Caesar announced that his niece, Atia Balba Secunda, had given birth to a son.

The majority of the Senate reacted with a shrug and casual congratulations.

Atia married a plebeian equites, and under Roman law, children born to her assumed the status of their father.

The members of the Senate had no reason to care about a plebeian boy who was neither Caesar's son nor a distant relative.

But Marcus was different.

He celebrated Atia's birth by giving her a villa outside of Rome.

This favor pleased both Atia and Caesar.

Caesar assumed that Marcus had prepared this great gift because of his recognition of him.

It wasn't without reason, but there was a separate reason why Marcus paid particular attention.

All of his attention was focused on a tiny plebeian child that no one in power was paying attention to.

The name of the child born by Atia, Caesar's niece, is Gaius Octavius.

He was the greatest statesman Rome ever produced and later went down in history as the first emperor of Rome.