Septimus did not know Cinna's thoughts and only focused on resolving all his affairs in Rome in order to be able to return quickly to his villa in Capua.
At that moment, in the villa, an event occurred that would change his plans.
One week earlier.
In Septimus' villa in Capua, inside the residence, one of the 20 slaves was nervous, pacing in circles while two of her closest friends comforted her.
The slave's name was Cyra. She had soft features and a slender figure with an olive skin tone; in her large eyes, concern and nervousness were reflected.
Cyra was a Persian slave trained from a very young age to serve men; her original fate was to be sold to nobles or, in the worst situations, end up in a brothel for the upper class. She was fortunate to be bought by Septimus' men and valued her current carefree lifestyle.
The reason for Cyra's concern was that she realized she was pregnant. If it had happened before the marriage of her master Septimus, the beautiful slave would have been happy, but now her fate was uncertain.
Before being Septimus' slave, the young Cyra had heard stories of masters' wives who forced slaves to abort, killed them, or sold them to low-quality brothels. Cyra was terrified of that possible fate.
The only solution Cyra could think of was to abort the child without anyone noticing; the only problem was how to obtain the medicines.
"Cyra, we do not know what the young master's opinion is about your baby," said a slave named Doris.
"I think the same; the young master is a good person," said the other slave named Soria in a naive voice.
Both slaves were good friends of Cyra and were the first to find out about her pregnancy. Although the 20 slaves served Septimus together on occasions, they maintained small social groups with a slight rivalry to gain Septimus' attention.
"I cannot take the risk because the young master has married, and the new Domina is a very irritable woman who detests us," Cyra said with a restrained sob.
Doris and Soria said nothing; they were also aware of Fausta's character and knew she did not like them.
"Can we try to bribe Tullius to buy medicine to abort?" said Doris, unsure of her plan.
"We have no money, and all the slaves and guards deeply respect the young master; it is more likely they would inform him," Cyra replied with her large tearful eyes.
Tullius was one of Septimus' clones in charge of supervising and managing the residence of the villa. Septimus used different clones, changing their personalities to avoid frightening the slaves; he also did this in the presence of other people.
It would be considered very sinister if all the clones acted with the same personality, and it would easily frighten the 20 beautiful slaves.
The three beautiful slaves thought of different ideas, discarding them one by one. It was not until a few days later that they could no longer hide Cyra's pregnancy.
While the slaves were having lunch, Cyra had nausea and vomiting, which alerted Septimus, and using the clones in charge of the residence, they paid attention to Cyra's state of health.
Septimus was very protective of the 20 women, and within days he was surprised to learn that the slave named Cyra was pregnant. To be honest, Septimus, with his replication ability and a relative immortality, was not worried about not having heirs.
Cyra's pregnancy also confirmed that Septimus was capable of having children; previously, he had paid little attention to the matter of offspring.
While Septimus' mind went blank because of the new life, he did not forget Cyra. The beautiful slave, upon learning that she had been discovered, broke into prolonged sobbing.
The clone Tullius, Septimus' alter ego, could only comfort her as best he could.
"I assure you, the young master will be happy when he learns of your pregnancy," Tullius said in a gentle tone of voice.
"How are you sure of that?" Cyra replied, with fine tears in her large black eyes.
"I can confirm it; the young master bought you to be able to have many children," Tullius said kindly, feeling guilty about the small lie.
Septimus bought the slaves to satisfy his lust; with his self-replication ability and immortality, the idea of having children had not even crossed his mind. But now that one of his slaves had the possibility of becoming pregnant, he could only take responsibility.
With his power and fortune constantly increasing, having many children did not represent a burden but would bring greater liveliness to his already long life.
After all, Cyra and the 20 slaves were like canaries in a cage, watched 24 hours a day; they had only had sexual relations with Septimus. The only men in the villa were clones with different personalities.
The other slaves also felt somewhat relieved upon learning Septimus' thoughts about the pregnancy; Cyra's fate could be their fate in the future. It only remained for Septimus to return and confirm it personally for the slaves to feel completely secure.
"The Domina will not let me have the baby," Cyra said as she suddenly thought of the hostile gaze that Fausta directed at them.
"Do not worry about the Domina; the young master will take care of it," Tullius replied confidently.
Cyra calmed down upon hearing the response; she only hoped to be able to live well together with her newborn child. As a slave, she hoped her baby would be male and would have the opportunity to one day be free.
Upon learning the news, Septimus accelerated his objectives in Rome so he could leave.
Two weeks passed.
Septimus was on a bed while he embraced Cyra, with his hand touching her slightly swollen belly.
After completing his tasks in Rome and with the political situation too tense, Septimus decided to return to Capua because he was eager to embrace his pregnant woman. Although he could achieve the same effect with another of the clones, he was still not prepared to deceive himself with his clones.
"Calm down, my dear; from now on you are the most important woman in the entire family," Septimus said while caressing Cyra's face and wiping away her tears.
"Young master, I am afraid that the Domina will not agree," Cyra said with her large eyes full of concern.
"Do not worry about Fausta; she is locked in one of the rooms, she is only a prisoner in this residence," Septimus replied superficially without giving further explanation.
Septimus did not tolerate the vain, arrogant, and irritable attitude of the young spoiled noblewoman Fausta; as a consequence, he decided to lock her in one of the rooms of the residence, keeping five clone guards as her jailers.
Cyra felt relieved upon hearing Septimus' response; also, from her friends Doris and Soria, she had knowledge that the Domina had been dragged by the guards as soon as she got down from the carriage.
Septimus took papyrus papers from his clothing and gave them to Cyra.
"From now on, you are no longer a slave; now you are free, and you are my woman," Septimus spoke in an authoritative tone of voice.
Cyra was shocked upon receiving the papyrus while hearing Septimus' words.
Suddenly, Cyra's beautiful eyes filled with tears of happiness, and she embraced Septimus tightly.
After an hour of crying, Septimus' clothes were soaked by the tears; he gave Cyra a kiss on the forehead, leaving her on the bed while he went to change his clothes.
As soon as Septimus left the room, the two beautiful slaves Doris and Soria entered the room with silent steps, surrounding Cyra while asking her questions.
"Now you are free!!" exclaimed the two slaves, surprised as they looked at the papyrus papers that granted Cyra her freedom.
"Yes, the young master gave me freedom; he said that his child cannot be a slave, and neither can his mother," Cyra replied with a happy smile full of pride for the change in social status.
Septimus' opinion about children was quickly known by all the slaves; they also felt relieved upon learning that Fausta was locked in one of the rooms of the residence with 24-hour surveillance as if she were a prisoner.
Septimus realized that the slaves were more proactive in having sexual relations; if it were not for his modified body, he would not be able to keep up with the pace of all the encounters. In any case, Septimus decided to limit his sexual encounters so as not to feel too physically overwhelmed.
Taking advantage of the peace with Rome, Septimus had bought villas and estates near his own villa, expanding his entire territory.
Septimus considered that it was time to establish the identity of his clones as vassals of his family, which would allow him to justify the origin of his legions in the future.
Although Septimus would not need to give explanations with his power to confront Rome, he considered that it was a good camouflage that would allow him to enjoy this period of time.