Lust in the Empire

I couldn't quite figure out what noise was shuddering through my head. The loud musical instruments being played in the corner of the room or the noise of many conversations at once. My eyes traveled the room as I stood in the corner, taking a moment to myself. My father was in the center of the room, people surrounding him with drinks and gorging themselves on food. It was a pathetic show, by my father to make himself more important and by those who believed he was important. I rolled my eyes as he beckoned me to come over, the marble flooring hard against my sandals as I walked over. Suddenly he had a huge smile on his face for me, again for show.

"Tullia, I would love you to meet Augustus," he beamed out, putting his hand out to a huge man, his dark eyes showing the pain of war.

"Pleasure," I smiled.

"You are correct Marcus, she is beautiful," Augustus spoke to my father. I fought down the urge to roll my eyes once more and instead gave him a weak smile.

"Augustus has just returned from war and requires a wife," father winked at me.

"Is that so?" I looked up at Augustus. Absolutely not, he looked like a brute and not in an attractive way.

"You're single Tullia?" He asked me.

"Yes," I replied simply.

"Maybe you could join me for dinner tomorrow?" Augustus walked closer to me as he asked.

"No thank you," I smiled, turning on my heel and walking away from the men. It was just me and my father, my mother died in childbirth with me and although I never got to grow with her, I missed the relationship one has with their mother.

"Tullia," I huffed at the voice, turning around to Octavia. She was my father's current girlfriend and I disliked her the least. Her dark hair pulled back and a weak smile on her face. "Augustus is a good man," she told me and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You marry him then," I spat out.

"Excuse me?" Her eyebrows rose.

"You marry him then, if he is so amazing," I shrugged.

"You want to be alone forever?" She asked me, her once friendly face turning to one of irritation.

"Then be married to a man who needs my father to talk to me? Yes, absolutely," I chuckled, turning to the table and grabbing a handful of grapes.

"You can come across as standoffish Tullia, it's an unattractive quality in a woman," Octavia said and I turned back around to her.

"I'm pleased, that was my plan all along," I shook my head, walking away from her. I could hear her next to me and I groaned as she spoke again.

"Your plan was for men to hide from you?" She scoffed.

"Yes, my plan is for men to leave me alone, especially men like Augustus. When I marry it will be for love," I said forcefully, moving past two party goers dancing next to the stringed instrument.

"When will that be?" She asked, jogging to keep up with me.

"When I find him," I rolled my eyes.

"This is embarrassing for your father. The whole of Rome knows you are single and would rather spend your time with peasants and roughenes," she put her hand on her hip as she spoke.

"I couldn't care less!" I stopped, raising my arms. A few members of the party looked over at me but again, I didn't care. "I don't care what embarrases my father Octavia. I thought that was obvious," I said.

"You are being selfish," she pouted at me. She was really starting to irritate me and I needed to be away from this party.

"Okay," I shrugged, sitting down on the purple chairs, watching a couple dance in front of me.

"Just have dinner with him," Octavia said, now standing in front of me.

"No," I said slowly.

"What's the worst that could happen?" She asked and I attempted to look past her but she moved her body into my eyeline. I looked up, sighing.

"He is an awful man with no brain cells between his ears and I have to listen to war stories all night?" I guessed and Octavia sat next to me, her hand on my shoulder.

"For me," she pleaded.

"For you?" I scoffed, looking over at her. I was about to say something awful, possibly about the fact that she wasn't my mother and she clearly believed our relationship was closer than I.

"Fine, fine!" I shouted, throwing my hands up.

"I will tell him!" She squealed, jumping from her seat and running over to my father. Great, I now had to put up with an awful dinner tomorrow as well as this party. I felt the seat next to me sink in, knowing who it was.

"He doesn't seem your type?" Cassius chuckled next to me. I didn't look over at him, instead my eyes were still in front of me.

"He isn't. Can I not marry you?" I joked.

"You are not my type," he scoffed. My eyes moved to him, his short dark hair was cut close to his head. Cassius was my age and we had been friends since children, our fathers being colleagues long before we were born.

"Can you not like women for one moment? So I'm not constantly forced to entertain these stupid men?" I pleaded with him and he just laughed, pushing my dark curly hair out of my face.

"I'm afraid not Tullia, you are a beautiful woman but have you thought about telling your father marriage isn't your thing?" Cassius looked concerned as he spoke and I sighed, my shoulders dropping.

"No," I whispered.

"Maybe start there otherwise you are going to keep having to bat men away," he laughed, standing.

"I'm going to bed," I also stood, my hands on my hips.

"You are pouting now?" Cassius raised his eyebrow.

"Yes."