Saul exhaled with a contorted grin. “Yes, Master.”
Chapter 23.
When they arrived at Flavius’ house, a grave-like silence fell between them, thickening as they opened the heavy wooden door. Flavius held Saul by the shoulders and guided him through the house. The sun was setting as they reached the living room where Claudia sat; she looked up but did not welcome them home. She had been sure that she would never see Saul again. She’d hoped that Flavius was convinced of his uselessness.
“You brought him back, I see.” She tried to hide her disappointment.
“Yes, I thought he would still be useful for my work as a personal advisor, and as you already know, I will not give up the pleasure of enjoying his body.”
“Of course not,” she replied indifferently, exiting the room.
When called to present himself in the working room, Nara arrived as quickly as possible, surprised to see Saul back home. Fear of the consequences sparked by Claudia’s wrath overshadowed his joy at seeing his friend.
“Nara, Saul is back to stay, to work as my advisor. He will need some assistance in his everyday life. For this reason, you are assigned to take care of whatever his needs might be, to always be within his reach.”
“Master, I… Does this mean I don’t have to take care of Mistress Claudia as I did previously?”
“Exactly. She can count on a considerable number of slaves, and I suppose you are not really needed. Saul is your new duty, immediately.”
“Yes, Master,” Nara replied briefly.
“Fine, you both are dismissed. I need Saul to come with me tomorrow morning; be sure he is ready the first hour of the day,” Flavius ordered.
“So it shall be, Master.”
Saul sensed the tension in Flavius’ voice and was afraid to leave him alone with his thoughts and feelings. He didn’t fear for himself. He knew Claudia wouldn’t have any chance to harm him as long as he was with Nara or as long as Flavius was in the same house, but he feared for his Master.
“Have you become mute as well?” Nara asked, chuckling.
“No, I am just afraid for Flavius,” he replied absentmindedly.
“What for?” he asked, surprised.
“He knows…I told him who blinded me.”
“I thought…” Nara said, confused.
“The less you know, the safer it will be, Nara. Don’t ask anything further. Let’s change the subject, shall we? I’ve had sort of a rough day. Please help me to take a bath,” Saul asked.
Nara smiled. “Of course, Saul. Come, I’ll help prepare you for the night. Tomorrow you have to wake up early.” Nara guided him to the lavatory where he helped him to undress and folded his tunic on a bench beside the pool.
“Here you are; sit down and relax.”
Saul did as he said. Soon, Nara’s hands caressed his entire body in a relaxing massage. Nara wasn’t sure why, but as others did, he felt an attraction toward Saul. It had nothing to do with sexual or sensual attraction. He felt as if he was taking care of himself’ each caress, every massage, felt as if he was doing it to himself.
Nara paused in his ministrations. “If you were given a choice, would you like to be free and build a new life with Cassandra, go back to your homeland, or remain with Flavius?”
“Why this kind of question; I will never have a choice.”
“What if you had?” he pursued.
“I don’t know. All the prospective choices have good points and bad points; I would like to get them all. I wish to be with Cassandra and Flavius in my own country,” he replied, laughing.
“I am asking seriously,” Nara said, a bit upset.
“Well, I am serious too. I love Cassandra, and I love Flavius. I would like to be able to love them as a free person, and I miss my homeland.”
“You have impossible requests,” Nara said, chuckling.
“And you pose impossible questions. What would be your wish?”
“Mine? I have no such wish. I was born a slave, and I will die a slave. If I could get a favor from the gods, I would like to get my Master back and live with him forever. However, this will never happen, so my hope is to have a good Master who will treat me fairly. Perhaps a Master who will have me as a lover and with whom I would fall in love,” Nara replied, continuing massaging him.
“That’s pure romance,” Saul chuckled.
“You know, I thought we should shorten your hair a bit; not too much. What do you think?” Nara asked, caressing it.
“You should ask Flavius; he decides these kinds of issues. So far, he likes me having long hair, but maybe you will be granted the privilege to shorten it.”
“It’s time to eat and go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.”. Nara helped Saul to stand and dress.
When Saul was finally in his bed, sleeping beside Nara, he realized how his attitude had changed. Perhaps it was true, and Claudia could not harm him, now that Flavius was aware of having to protect him and the other slaves from her. Nevertheless, Flavius also had to watch his back if it were true that Claudia was behind his kidnapping.
He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
In his bed, Flavius could not find peace. As Claudia slept by his side, he tried to understand what was wrong with her heart to plot against so many people out of revenge.
He felt hopeless.
What should I do to make her confess about Saul? How can I prove it was her who ordered my kidnapping and the cold-blooded assassination of the slaves traveling with me? How can you hide such a dark soul behind your beauty and look so innocent when you sleep beside me?
On the other hand, he recalled how she used to beat up Nara, particularly the time when he found him unconscious after she hit him. She was a cruel person hiding behind her innocent beauty. He changed position and closed his eyes.
Days, weeks, months… How much time had passed since Saul returned to his house? Flavius couldn’t recall anymore; it felt too long a time, and his mind wearied of the wait.
The longer he waited, the more his frustration grew. Saul was not enough to calm his restless soul, and he realized he had been unfairly angry toward him, but even so, Saul’s behavior didn’t change. He was still there to be sure that he wouldn’t do something stupid.
Flavius was, in fact, unfair to everybody coming his way: colleagues, friends, acquaintances; only Titus could instill fear in his heart. He couldn’t talk to him with the same cockiness as he did with the others.
He decided to tease Claudia. Maybe if she realized that he knew about her plot, she would confess.
“Saul, when did I bring you from my father’s house?”
“More or less, four weeks, Master.”
“Are you sure?” He felt exhausted as if a longer period had passed.
“Yes, Master, I am. Why?”
Flavius didn’t reply; he stood up from the chair, blinded by rage, and stomped off. Saul sat still, listening.
Claudia and Flavius shouted at each other, then their voices grew louder until he knew they both were in the room with him.
He continued to keep quiet, aware that something was going to happen very soon. He was afraid his blindness would prevent him from stopping any violence.