I warmed his cold blood

Lucas glanced at him and said with a smile, "You're really not right today."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Helen blushed, "As the master, I have the right to know this."

Lucas was silent for a while, and said calmly: "I am a pure slave, and my parents are both. I was born in a remote Germania. There is an ancient Black Forest, and there is also beer despised by Roman nobles. As a child, reading and writing was considered a joke, and the Germans measured everything with their fists. They worshiped force very much."

"Then why did you come to Rome?" Helen raised his eyes. "People here look down on barbarians, including Celts and Slavs. It doesn't seem like a good choice to settle in Rome."

"The reason is very simple, because of poverty." Lucas said calmly, "My parents are honest by nature, and they made clay pots for a living. In my impression, their hands were never clean. Our family of four squeezed In the small house made of stones, whenever it rains, my bed will be damaged..."

"A family of four?" Helen wondered, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Lukas paused and said sadly: "I once had a younger sister, but she died when she was three years old. She got sick, but the family was so poor that they didn't even have the money for a diagnosis. I'm only one year older than her , I can’t even remember her face.”

"God!" Helen sighed, "I never thought there would be such a poor family... I thought it was the devil's curse to have no money for medicine!"

Lucas smiled, "When I was ten years old, I almost starved to death. At first, I was just hungry, then I was so weak that I couldn't even lift my legs when I walked; finally, even the feeling of hunger disappeared. During that time, I felt like my soul was floating above my head, watching my body die."

He turned his head and said with a smile: "So, it's great that you don't have to suffer like that!"

Heron looked complicated.It was as if a builder moved rocks and mud into his mind, building up the image of Lucas bit by bit; his suffering, his helplessness, also tore off all cover, and appeared bloody, perceived by his master.

Helen suddenly felt that he had never understood Lucas.

"Later, we came to Rome. In order to survive, my parents sold themselves as slaves, watching the face of their masters every day. But they never complained, because they ended up starving."

Lucas tucked the cloak for Heron, and continued: "There is nothing more important than living. People can endure many things out of this instinct. There is no such thing as principle when it comes to survival."

"Even if you have to endure the master's whipping? Sometimes you have to endure unreasonable abuse?" Helen frowned.

"My master, I really hope that you will remain so innocent forever." Lucas laughed twice, "To be honest, your life has been like a carefree childhood."

Herron fell silent, clutching Lucas's clothes tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Were your parents nice to you? What kind of people were they?" he asked.

"My parents have lived in the hands of nobles all their lives, gentle and kind, just like Felitina. Don't cause trouble, this is what they always tell me. I keep their teachings in mind, so under my skin , has never been called noble; nor have my thoughts."

"Are they still alive?" Harron asked.

"They all died when I came of age at 15," said Lucas firmly. "You know, slaves are born short. Laundry for young nobles. They bear all the suffering in the world, but still feel happy."

"In my opinion, slaves are the most unbearable life in the world." Heron was puzzled, "Happiness and laughing at humble slaves seem to have nothing to do with each other."

Lucas smiled, "But people can endure everything. I dare say that the greatest instinct of a person is not to eat and sleep, but to learn to have fun no matter what the environment is."

He nodded his chest with his fingers and said with a smile: "My parents have loved each other all their lives and never quarreled. My mother would pawn the jewelry she gave to my father and me to buy fish and meat; my father would save money and buy silk for her." . I have a very happy family, so to speak, despite the humbleness of our lives."

"Oh! Don't say that about yourself, Lucas." Heron was dissatisfied. "Although you are a slave, you are different from those people. You are even my friend..."

He thought about it again, raised his head and asked, "Then why did you go to the theater? You are a slave with a family background."

Lucas shrugged and said relaxedly: "Shortly after my parents died, the owner of the family also passed away, and the new owner sold me to the fighting arena. His greatest reward for me is that he did not brand me."

Helen remained silent, moved involuntarily, and snuggled up beside him.Even though Lucas was drenched, his body temperature was as warm as usual.Helen couldn't help clinging to him, wrapping his arms around his waist and pressing his head against his chest.

"The fighting arena is hell on earth," he muttered. "Women and children died under the wheels, brothers and sisters were forced to fight each other with swords, and the laughter of nobles came from blood and death. You swung your sword from the hand of Hades. The one who came out, Lucas."

Lucas thought he was cold, hugged him tightly, and continued:

"As you said, I once killed my brother who shared a piece of bread with me. I also cut off the head of a child under three years old. I also cut a criminal in half. I even stripped people's heads. I peeled off the back of the loser and put it on myself. Of course, I was almost killed by a tiger, my legs were almost crushed by a wheel, and a cavalry knife pierced my chest; Abandoned to the pile of dead bodies, the crow pecked me painfully before I woke up..."

When recalling the past, he pressed his brows, without showing the slightest pain.His hands were still, his eyelashes never trembled, his blue eyes were heavy, and his heartbeat was steady.His strength and stability, somewhat bloody, swept everything like a ballista of fire, and nothing could slander his strength.

He turned his head and nearly touched Herron's nose.His brows trembled slightly, his blue eyes were as transparent as glass balls illuminated by the bonfire, his lips were tightly closed, his face was deep, and he just remained silent.

After a while, he stretched out his hand, wiped the water from Heron's face, brushed the hair sticking to his cheek behind his ear, and said with a light smile, "So, you let me get rid of that kind of life."

"You came to me..." Helen asked suddenly, "Is it just to end this kind of life?"

"Yes." Lucas admitted, "At that time, I bet my whole life on your kindness. As it turns out, I won the bet."

Helen was touched by him and tightened his arms, "It would be great if you came earlier to make this bet."

Lucas laughed suddenly, his shoulders trembling with laughter.He held Herren tightly, the muscles in his arms were tense, and the water droplets fell from his blond hair.

"It's not too late, my lord," he said softly.

At this time, it was completely dark.The icy blue water became like an ink plate, and the bright moon was embedded in the center, and the moon's shadow blurred into broken silver on the sea surface.The stars are dense and shining, so the night is the black hair of the goddess, and the stars are like a diamond web hanging between the hair.

Lucas stood up and felt whether the red cloak was dry.

The moonlight poured over his head, rolled down to his shoulders, and finally fell down his body to his feet.His face was extremely clean, his white shirt was blown up by the sea breeze, and his dripping blond hair was brushed back.

Herron stared at him for a while, then suddenly grabbed his free hand and clasped his fingers.

"Don't leave me, Lucas." He pressed the back of his hand to his face, his eyes were fragile, "If even you leave me...in this world, I really don't know who else I can rely on."

Lucas's expression froze, and his resolute expression loosened.He slowly squatted down, pinched his index finger, and poked his heart, "That's impossible, your surname is branded here. Even my soul is branded with your name."

He held Heron's other hand, glued his fingers together, and solemnly said, "I swear."

Herren pouted, and said awkwardly: "I've heard this sentence countless times, it's really nothing new."

Lucas smiled and said leisurely: "Yes. From the moment I first met you, I really wanted to say that. I probably said it countless times, but every time it was like the first time I said it."

He put Heron's hand on his chest, and said earnestly: "This family is branded on my heart, and it is branded very deeply. When it is destroyed, it is also when I die."

His words fell into Herren's ears, like a hot meteor falling into the sea, stirring up a huge mountain of smoke.Herren's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, echoing strongly in his ears.All the memories of him and Lucas came up, flashing before him in chaos.His face was numb, as was his back, and his cheeks flushed rapidly; he even felt that his heart was about to jump out of his chest, and then jumped into Lucas's chest without hesitation.He was so excited that he almost fainted, but he felt strangely awake.

At this moment, he felt that his soul belonged.

In a daze, he stammered and said, "...Lucas, I want to have a drink with you!"

Lucas let go, poured two glasses of wine, and handed him one.

Helen took the initiative to touch his wine glass, looked up at him, pursed his lips, and there were flames dancing in his pupils, hesitant to speak.

Lucas looked at him and smiled, "What toast are you thinking about? My master?"

Herren's back was straightened, his lips trembled, and his eyebrows and eyes kept trembling.He wanted to say many things, such as "Give you this glass of wine", "May the gods protect my faithful Lucas", or "I, Polio, have the good fortune to take you in".

These words were repeated over and over, stuck in his throat, but he couldn't speak them out.

He always felt that these words were out of place.

After a while, he blushed, and said something irrelevant: "Fuck master slave!"

Lucas froze.