Demons Have Nothing on You 2/2

"Ha, if I remember correctly, you are not His Majesty Claudius's biological daughter, but merely his adopted daughter. Now, you have been abandoned by your mother. What right do you have to use this worthless piece of paper to demand a debt from Britain?"

Just as the red-haired First Princess was about to lose her temper, her younger sister, who couldn't stand it anymore, came to her aid.

"Hmph! So what? My father did not deprive me of my inheritance rights, and even granted me the surname Claudius. According to tradition, I still enjoy the right to inherit!"

"So what if you have the right of inheritance? There is no precedent in Rome for a woman to enter the Pantheon and receive Imperial Privilege."

"Just because it doesn't exist now doesn't mean it won't exist in the future! I am a genius, one in ten thousand!"

"The Seventh Legion is already obeying your mother's command. Let's talk about whether you can return to the City of Seven Hills alive. Besides, have you ever thought about how we knew your whereabouts?"

"..."

Nero's face flushed slightly, her pearly teeth biting her cherry lips, she remained silent, and her eyes dimmed somewhat.

In fact, not only was Boudica facing a lot of trouble, but Nero also had his own share of problems.

Her mother was named Agrippina the Younger, and she was married three times. Nero was her child with her first husband, while Claudius was her third husband.

Nero's mother was a licentious and vicious woman who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals. In order to seduce Claudius, she poisoned her first husband with her own hands.

Later, in order to consolidate her position, this wicked woman coerced Claudius, who was nearly 50 years old and had difficulty conceiving, into choosing her child Nero as the heir to the Claudius family's imperial power.

Claudius's death was also due to poisoning, and all indications suggest that it was likely Nero's wicked mother who was responsible.

Having eliminated her husband, Agrippina the Younger, whose daughter held the right to inherit the throne and was young and naive, became even more unscrupulous in her power. She not only frequently brought her lovers home for pleasure but also indulged in extravagant spending.

As the child grows up, the power struggle between mother and daughter inevitably leads to antagonism and escalating conflict.

Compared to his mother, who held immense power, the young Nero was far too weak.

In order to avoid becoming a puppet to be manipulated, she must establish merit and gain the support of the army and even the Pantheon.

However, Agrippina the Younger was a woman with an extremely strong desire for control, and she would not tolerate Nero's resistance.

It was that wicked woman's doing to throw out the IOU and have Nero collect the debt from the Celts.

Nero stubbornly chose to fight to the bitter end. He first tried every means to escape from the City of Seven Hills and went to the Seventh Legion's base to try to gain the army's support, but to no avail.

Left with no other choice, Nero had to take a desperate gamble and, with only a small number of people sent to her, went to negotiate with the Celts.

It now seems that her mother has already decided to kill her.

Nero's situation was not necessarily better than that of Boudica and her two daughters.

A future Tyrant acts arbitrarily is not someone who will back down after suffering a loss.

Nero, whose wounds had been reopened, was only depressed for a moment before raising her head, putting her hands on her hips, and snorting coldly.

"Hmph! My affairs are none of your business. Paying back debts is a matter of course, especially since this is a contract witnessed by the Goddess of Oaths Styx. If you Celts are determined to renege on your debt, if the Pantheon's army comes to our door, you won't even be able to be slaves!"

"We even took you in! We should have let you die on Lone Mountain!"

"I will die on Lonely Lone Mountain. The crime of murdering the heir of the Claudius family will be pinned on the Celts. You will all be punished and buried with me!"

"You..."

The First Princess, growing increasingly angry, raised her hand in annoyance. At this moment, the Second Princess had already left to attend to her chores.

"You resort to violence when you can't win an argument? Is this the kind of manners you Celts?"

"Roman barbarians, who are you talking about!"

Nero raised her little face and teased the nemesis she couldn't stand, while the red-haired First Princess angrily lowered her fingers and continued to glare and argue with the little one in front of her. Their foreheads almost touched, like a pair of fierce fighting cocks.

"Slap! Slap!"

Seeing that the two sides were getting increasingly angry and almost came to blows, a graceful and voluptuous figure approached from nowhere, raised her hand, and slapped the heads of the two girls, one big and one small.

Immediately, a pair of slender, fair fingers, like an eagle catching chicks, grabbed the two girls by their collars, and the gentle yet authoritative reprimand echoed in the ears of the two girls.

"You two argue while sleeping, when you meet, when you shower, you even argue when you're looking for someone. It's never quiet from morning till night. Don't you want to eat?"

Queen Boudica, who came to arrest the man, was greatly troubled by the situation.

"Um, what's for dinner?"

Caught red-handed, Nero first instinctively shrank his neck, seemingly in awe of Boudica. Then, his nostrils flared as he smelled the rich fragrance, and his eyes brightened.

"The hunting team caught a litter of wild boars that were destroying crops. This is a rare treat, and if we wait any longer, we won't get any."

Boudica glanced at the kitchen behind her, her eyes sparkling, and a slight smile played on her lips.

"I do seem a bit hungry. How about we call a halt and continue after we've eaten?"

Nero raised his elbow and nudged the red-haired First Princess, who was also hanging beside him.

"Good!"

The First Princess slurped her saliva, nodded emphatically, and skillfully gave her old rival a high five as a gesture of agreement.

Given that similar situations had occurred more than ten times in just a few days, Boudica had become accustomed to it and simply let people go as they pleased, following behind them at a leisurely pace, like a mother shooing her naughty child home at mealtime.

They're becoming more and more like a family...

That's fine too...

Samael stretched comfortably on the grass, muttering to himself, a meaningful look appearing in his smiling eyes.

Just as the ancient serpent was about to get up to go and freeload a meal, Nero, carrying a ceramic bowl, stumbled and ran along the path, presenting the half-spilled meat soup to Samael as if offering a treasure, his eyes sparkling.

"Here, these are all my favorites, you can have them all..."

"So, what price must I pay, Your His Majesty the Emperor?"

Samael was taken aback at first, then, under Nero's expectant yet apprehensive gaze, he took the earthenware bowl and asked with a playful expression.

"No need, this is compensation for saving Yu Yingde..."

Nero first shook her head slightly and answered earnestly, then gently bit her lower lip with a solemn expression.

"If you are willing to take me back to the City of Seven Hills and help me retrieve what my mother left me, I am willing to pay any price for it!"

"Any cost, are you sure?"

Samael stroked his chin, his narrowed, snake-like vertical pupils scrutinizing the flat-chested loli before him, and asked in a low voice.

"Dang dong!"

Nero was thrilled, suppressing the tremor from the scrutiny, and nodded emphatically.

"I see..."

Samael spoke in a strange tone and grinned broadly.

"Boudica, come and get the person!"

The resolute and composed young girl before him froze upon hearing this, and before she could even react, the back of her neck was firmly gripped by a soft, delicate hand.