I put out his fire

The mountain wind is particularly bitter in the middle of the night.Rhodes saw that Nero was timid and had no intention of soaking in the hot spring, so he put on his clothes and took him home.

Nero put on his pajamas and lay down on the recliner by the fireplace.He was shivering with cold, and his wet hair was steaming from the heat of the fire.There was a trace of nosebleed between his nose and lips, and his bare legs and feet were pale, shaking orange in the firelight.

Rhodes entered the house with a cup of hot milk.He was still holding two balls of cotton in his hands, and his half-dry black hair was a little messy, like a whole piece of thread-tangled black｜silk.

He walked to the recliner with bare feet, and made a series of slightly concave footprints on the carpet.

Nero's trembling body gradually tensed up.He took a peek at Rhodes, with wet feelings flowing in his eyes.

Rhodes leaned over and stuffed the cotton ball into his nostrils without any explanation.

"You've lost a lot of blood," he said. "You need this now."

Nero lowered his head shyly, his legs and feet twisted together unnaturally, his nose and cheeks were blushing.

Rhodes smiled.He sat on his knees on the rug, picked up the tongs and turned the coals in the fireplace.Sparks flew out like fireflies, and the black charcoal burned with a faint cracking sound.

The orange-red flames flickered, dissolving into the air like the currents of the seabed.

Rhodes put down the tongs, and the red flame covered his whole body like flowing gold, making him like a Vulcan walking out of the sky-high flames, and everywhere he went was full of heat and temperature.

Nero was fascinated by his powerful beauty, his amber-like eyes sparkled.

The ungrateful young man has no reservations about his first love, and loves with his soul as a sacrifice.And this feeling is too strong, as if he is falling back into his first love every moment.

"Rod..." he shouted in a low voice.

Rhode turned his face sideways, raised his slender eyebrows, and blunted the corners of his sharp lips.

Nero considered his words carefully and asked cautiously, "Can I... arrange a position for you?"

Rhodes said flatly: "What position?"

"Chief of Fire." Nero said, "This is the reserve position of the chief of the Guards. He is in charge of the fire-fighting equipment in the city of Rome, and even has a fire brigade dispatched at will. The usual work is patrolling, fire prevention and fire fighting. Catch the thief."

He looked at Rhode's face, "If I can successfully succeed in the future, you will naturally become the commander of the Guards. The experience of being the chief of fire will give you more prestige in the Guards..."

Rodmer's voice.He couldn't help but think that in his previous life, when Nero was in power, a fire broke out in the city for three days and three nights.

At that time, Nero opened his garden to let civilians come in to hide from disasters, but he still couldn't escape the fate of being criticized by people.

"Of course." Rhodes replied, "You don't have to discuss it with me. This is the route I should follow."

Nero felt relieved and heaved a sigh of relief, his tense expression gradually faded away like ripples.

His curly hair was baked a little more fluffy, and it was as bright as creamy white.The force acquired on the battlefield made his legs and feet have clear and deep lines, which are very powerful.And his face was bloodless, with some sickly temperament.

Rhodes was slightly stunned, and Nero, who had just matured, made him feel strange.

After a moment of silence, he said: "I have never been an official, and my experience in official career is even more bald than the desert in Egypt! I may need your help when necessary."

Nero's face gradually turned red, and under the light and shadow, his facial features were very deep, and he had the will to bear everything.

"Of course! I will do my best to help you..." Nero said affirmatively.

He paused, his cheeks flushed, and he said from the bottom of his heart: "I said, I will protect you..."

Rhodes chuckled.He looked at Nero with a serious expression, his eyes were naked｜naked and completely undisguised.

In this way, he watched Nero gradually change from a sincere expression to a shy one, and then a little bit shy, and finally bowed his head humbly.

Rhodes moved to sit beside the recliner, leaning on Nero's bare legs with his thin upper body tilted.

His damp hair was scorched by the fire, directly against the side of Nero's leg, with scorching wetness.

Nero moved embarrassingly, and Rhodes held his trembling ankle.Rhodes, who had always been emotionally stubborn all his life, was touched by his humble trembling, and held Nero's calf in his arms.

"Don't move," Rhodes said softly with half-closed eyes, "let me lean for a while..."

Nero was stunned, and adjusted his posture to make Rhodes lean more comfortably.

At this time, the fireplace is burning most vigorously, and the temperature rises in the air like green shoots.In fact, Nero's legs have been stretched and sore after a long time, but he just doesn't move.Rhodes clearly knew that his legs were tense, and he kept leaning against them without leaving.They were tacit about this ambiguous interaction.

Rhodes, who was lonely and unruly in his two lives, finally tasted the taste of being dependent on each other for the first time.

His wanderer-like soul seems to have found refuge now.

……

Every morning breakfast in the palace is as rich and varied as a dinner.

Slaves lit candles, served oatmeal sprinkled with shrimp, and deftly sliced ​​browned quail.They arranged a platter of figs, almonds and pomegranates and tossed them with honey and herbal powder.The chef crisped the mushrooms and sprinkled them with shredded cheese, Emperor Claudius' favorite food.

Agrippina is arranging herself.The slave girl braided her hair thinly, coiled it up and covered it with a golden net.She put on the emerald earrings and daubed her cheeks with hematite powder to improve her pale complexion.

Claudius was fast asleep in his own bed.

Since they got married, they shared the same bed but used two separate quilts, and they have never been married.

Agrippina put on the ring and asked the slaves to prepare soda water and dental sticks for cleaning teeth, and soap locust water for washing their faces.

She adjusted her clothes in the mirror, went to the bed and woke her uncle and her second husband.

Claudius' mouth was still drooling halfway.He was timid and a light sleeper, and woke up with a start.

He opened his sticky eyes, and Agrippina's delicate white silk dress flashed into his sleepy eyes.

Claudius wrapped the quilt unnaturally, "Oh...Thank you for waking me up, Agrippina..."

His niece looked calm and took the basin from the slave, "Let me wash your feet."

Claudius sat up with difficulty, stretched out a pair of thin and wrinkled feet, and put them into the water basin like sitting on pins and needles.

"From now on, let slaves do this kind of thing..." He said awkwardly, "You can sleep until you wake up naturally, and no one will blame you."

Agrippina massaged the soles of his feet and said flatly, "I am a queen, so I must look like a qualified wife."

Claudius glanced helplessly at the wheat cakes and red cotton thread hanging on the wall, and wine and animal fat were placed in the shrine.It was arranged on their wedding day, implying that there is no need to worry about food and clothing.

He sighed softly: "We've been married for 30 days, but I'm really not used to it..."

"You'll get used to it sooner or later." Agrippina remained calm, washing her feet unhurriedly.

She slowly raised her eyes, her eyes were cold, like a hibernating snake waking up.She smiled at him, "Because you need me..."

Claudius choked and let her dry her feet.

Agrippina washed her hands, wiped her hands and said, "I went to see Octavia yesterday. She is staying at her friend's house now, and it is said that she smokes a whole tray of marijuana all day long."

"Oh..." Claudius shook his head, "It's all my fault for my father who doesn't teach well..."

Agrippina anointed her hands with ointment and said leisurely, "She smokes marijuana, can't skillfully use a loom, and hangs out with merchants all day long. This is not what a good girl should look like."

"I can't control her..." Claudius said sadly, his hunchback pressing down on him like a mountain.

He said seriously: "Every time I want to get angry at her and want to teach her a lesson, I can't bear to reprimand her when I see her tears. She is my most beloved daughter..."

"She's been under your umbrella, even though she's 16," Agripina said.

Her eyes became more and more serious, with an unfathomable meaning, "You know... other girls at her age have already become mothers."

Claudius sighed, his round eyes were full of worry, "I have been worrying about her marriage. You know, she is not a very attractive girl, even though she has the most generous dowry in all of Rome .”

Agrippina slowly closed the grease box, as if nothing had happened.

She said in a calm tone: "Everyone who pursues your daughter more or less covets the throne. I, like you, worry about her marriage and happiness..."

She paused, glanced sideways at Claudius from the corner of her eyes, and tentatively said in a light tone: "After all... she has reached the age where she must get married, isn't she?"

Claudius was lying crookedly, his eyes had the yellow color of an old man.

He let out an old lament, "As a father, I am really worried that she will be used by men with ulterior motives, who will ruthlessly abandon her after draining her dowry and blood..."

Agrippina smiled quietly, and made no sound to comfort him.

The slave brought the water basin and washed the emperor with a sponge.Claudius put a licorice leaf in his mouth and asked the ear slave to clean his ears.The barber anointed his chin with ointment and shaved him clean.Such a slave who is good at shaving can be sold for as high a price as a gladiator.

Claudius sat in front of the bronze mirror, and saw the slave in the mirror carrying a plate of rabbit meat on the dining table.

"My Octavia doesn't come to see her father either..." He sighed again, "I ask the chef to prepare her favorite baked hare elbow every day, but she has never eaten it once."

Agrippina remained calm and calmly comforted: "She will move back to the palace tonight, if there are no accidents..."

Claudius wondered: "Really?!"

"Yes," Agripina replied, "I have managed to persuade her to come and have dinner with you every night."

"Oh..." Claudius was very pleasantly surprised, the wrinkles on his face looked like wind-eroded ravines when he laughed, "How did you do it?"

"It's nothing more than to bribe her merchant friends to keep them away from her." Agrippina said calmly, "The merchant only has eyes for coins with your face engraved on them, and is not interested in your daughter."

Claudius froze for a moment, then his tightly locked brows stretched, and a smile appeared on his skinny cheeks.

"You are so kind to me, Agrippina." Claudius praised, "Better than your aunt... oh no... it should be my ex-wife... much better."

He paused, and said cautiously: "I will consider taking Nero as my adopted son, as long as he can listen to me."

"He will be obedient." Agrippina showed a rare smile on her cold face, "I will make him obedient."

She said in a questioning tone, "Perhaps I should let him visit you and Octavia, after all, your relationship is not the same as it used to be."

She paused for a while, her eyes were cloudy, and she said in a gloomy voice: "I think he will look at Octavia with a new perspective and mentality. A young girl will be very attractive as long as she dresses up a little... ..."

Claudius thought for a moment and nodded.

At this time, the slaves ironed the emperor's robes, sprayed perfume on the clothes and laurel wreaths, folded them neatly on trays and presented them.

Claudius saw the clothes, coughed twice, and said uncomfortably: "I should change now...Agrippina..."

Agrippina nodded, and unhurriedly withdrew from the room.