The Mad Tycoon of Rome

< 260. Succession Structure >

Caesar finally agreed to entrust Marcus with all of Rome’s response to Han.

Han was an unknown entity to Caesar as well, since it was located far east of India, and he didn’t have much interest in it yet.

It seemed that the plan that Marcus was setting up would take at least several decades, or even a hundred years.

He thought that he wouldn’t live to see the result, so he hoped that Marcus would handle it well.

Of course, the biggest reason was that Caesar didn’t have enough leeway to pay attention to Han with enthusiasm.

“Well, now that we’re done with today’s work, let’s take a break…”

Just as Marcus stretched his shoulders and tried to get up from his seat, he heard a voice calling him from outside.

The two men looked at Spartacus, who was guarding them from the side.

He bowed his head slightly and glanced at the unexpected visitor.

He heard a lively woman’s voice and a slightly awkward man’s voice.

‘…I wondered where he went. He must have been caught by Sophia. I thought he ran away because he hated paperwork.’

He immediately figured out who it was, but he pretended not to know until Spartacus reported it.

It wouldn’t set a good example to skip the procedure just because they knew each other during official work hours.

“Sir Marcus, Sophia and Octavius are here.”

“Tell them to come in. I just finished my work.”

As soon as the permission was given, Sophia entered with a quick step.

Unlike Octavius, who followed her with an embarrassed smile, Sophia approached Marcus with a bright smile.

“Father, are you done with your work?”

“Yes, I see you finished your morning classes too. How is Rome treating you?”

He tried to maintain a stern expression, but anyone could see that his lips were curling up uncontrollably.

He was so used to smiling like a clown in front of his daughter that no one else reacted much.

Sophia sat close to Marcus and stuck out her tongue at the huge pile of documents on the desk.

“Wow, did you do all this in the morning?”

“Of course. If I don’t, I’ll have less time to drink tea with you.”

“Hehe.”

She laughed happily and Marcus smiled back at her.

The pain that had accumulated from excessive work since dawn melted away like snow.

‘Is this why office workers say they feel refreshed when they see their daughters after work?’

Octavius, who had been watching from behind, approached cautiously and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you. Sophia wouldn’t let me go even after her morning classes…”

“It’s fine. If she had fun thanks to you, that’s enough for me.”

Octavius breathed a sigh of relief at Marcus’s kind voice and sat down opposite him.

Sophia wanted to sit on Marcus’s lap like before, but it would be troublesome if rumors spread that she still played on her father’s lap as a grown woman.

“So, what brings you two here?”

“We were playing chess, but neither side seemed to tilt decisively, so we came here to cool our heads. I thought you might be done with your work by now. Is grandfather doing well?”

Caesar just nodded his head at her coquettish voice.

Sophia inherited Julia’s intelligence and beauty, and there was no one in the family who could be strict with her except Julia.

She was arguably the most powerful person in the family.

Originally, Rome was a patriarchal society, so sons tended to get more attention, but Marcus’s family was completely opposite.

The head of the household was a perfect daughter-lover, so there was nothing he could do about it.

Of course, he didn’t just adore her because she was his daughter.

Aside from being cute and lovely, Sophia was one of the few people who could communicate well with Marcus.

That was why she always brought Octavius with her.

Caesar and Marcus were always busy, and Julia, the mistress of the house, was always doing something too, so she had no one to talk to on an equal level.

Her twin brother Trajanus and Danae’s son Achilles preferred physical activities more than hobbies.

Cleopatra and Arsinoe’s daughters were still young, so they were not even conversation partners but playmates for dolls.

So naturally, she had no one else but Octavius.

On the other hand, Octavius had mixed feelings about it.

He also enjoyed being with Sophia, who had high intelligence and could talk well.

But the problem was that the initiative between the two was completely tilted towards Sophia.

Octavius was a person who had a rather patriarchal temperament like most Romans.

In the original history, he was a person who used his paternal authority, patria potestas, without hesitation.

But in front of Sophia, who received the love of Marcus and Caesar with her whole body, he had no choice but to stay still like a gentle lamb.

He might have been able to control her with words, but Sophia was a person who inherited her parents’ intelligence, so that was impossible.

Moreover, unlike the other siblings, she had good physical strength and vitality, and she was always dragged around here and there, so it was natural that he was exhausted.

But strangely enough, he didn’t hate it entirely.

With a complicated heart and a troubled mind, Octavius left her alone and Sophia found a noticeable document on Marcus’s desk and her eyes sparkled.

“So this is how the reports from the senators of the Senate come up. How interesting.”

“Just in case you don’t know, I’m not spying on them. I’m just getting reports on their official duties. I need to know how the Senate moves to prevent any possible situations, and to make it easier to pass the policies I want.”

“It looks like Uncle Cato is still the same. I’m glad he’s still upright. Grandpa Cicero too. They were all good people.”

Sophia had met the two of them a few times at parties when she came to Rome.

The two of them also naturally liked Sophia, who was Marcus’s daughter and full of charm, and treated her well.

That’s why she seemed to feel sympathy for Cato and Cicero, who were pushed away like this.

“It can’t be helped. I want to be close to them personally, but their beliefs will only lead Rome to regression. Excluding them from the center of power is inevitable.”

“I agree with that, but I still think there’s a need to secretly support Uncle Cato so that he can gather some power. It’s not much of a power anyway… just enough to attach one or two senators who will fight with him?”

Caesar, who had been listening to the story with satisfaction, showed interest.

“Can you tell me why?”

“That’s because you two want to keep Uncle Cato as a hollow opposition force. That way, our side’s unity will be better and we won’t be caught by the opposition even for a speck of dust.”

She understood Marcus’s intentions exactly without him telling her anything.

It was natural since she always stuck with Octavius and talked to him.

When Marcus gestured for her to continue, Sophia calmly said.

“But right now, Uncle Cato is almost isolated in the Senate. He has no foundation at all since he completely broke up with Grandpa Cicero, who used to watch his back. In this situation, I don’t think he can even be a hollow opposition force.”

“So you’re saying it would be better if I added a few more people from my side.”

“Yes. At least he needs to have some form to express his opinions. And I don’t think the existence of a healthy opposition force is only valuable strategically. If there is a logical reason for the opposing opinion, it can also be an opportunity to reconsider the policy once more, right?”

“Hahaha, our granddaughter is very smart.”

Caesar revealed his satisfaction as he stroked Sophia’s head.

He also thought how nice it would be if his grandson Trajanus followed her even half as much.

He felt sorry for his granddaughter Sophia’s talent.

If she had been born a boy, Caesar would have used all means to give her everything as his bloodline.

But unfortunately, women could not rise to that position in Rome.

Maybe in the distant future, but not right now. 

It was impossible no matter how hard he thought about it.

His eyes naturally turned to Octavius, who was sitting across from Sophia.

He was Marcus’s confidant and Caesar’s relative, so there was nothing wrong with his status.

If Sophia and Octavius got together, there would be no better picture than that.

Then maybe he should marry them off and turn the power over to the maternal side.

This was realistically possible.

The most important thing was what arrangement Marcus had in mind, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep it as an option.

After chatting for about two cups of tea, Sophia got up from her seat as if she was satisfied.

Marcus looked at his daughter’s back as she almost dragged Octavius out with her with a smile on his face.

Caesar also had a similar expression on his face.

“She is kind and has insight and wisdom. She reminds me of Julia when she was young.”

“I can imagine how much you loved Julia.”

“But it’s also sad when your daughter is too smart. Don’t you feel that way too?”

“Me?”

“Don’t you ever think that it would have been nice if she was the son who would inherit the family? She is much smarter than Trajanus. She has been like that since she was young and she will always be like that in front of her brother. If Octavius is next to her, even more so.”

“But the person who will be the head of the house is Trajanus. That’s not a very good situation. Sophia might feel resentful in her own way. And if their abilities are combined, they might push Trajanus out and concentrate power on Octavius’s side. That’s possible enough, isn’t it?”

If that situation was going to happen anyway, it might be better to push Sophia and Octavius from the beginning.

Caesar understood his intention.

Marcus had also considered many possibilities and wondered what the most ideal succession plan would be.

“I still have time, so I haven’t narrowed down the possibilities to one case. The next schedule is related to the topic we are talking about, so why don’t we continue the conversation there?”

“The next schedule is probably…”

“Yes. It’s the inauguration ceremony of the military academy. I’m going to give a speech to the chief freshman myself. Let’s see what his name is…”

Marcus paused for a moment on purpose and then said.

“Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.”

< 260. Succession Structure > End