"What are you doing here? Have you come to laugh at me?" Lepidus said, bursting into laughter.
"No. The Senate wants you to cancel the assembly and stop accusing Sulla's faction or trying to pass those laws. Things have developed beyond our expectations, and the senators want Rome to return to stability," Catulus said with a sincere expression.
"Why? What right do they have to cancel my assembly? What wrong have I done to deserve this? Was Sulla's massacre justified? I would say those senators are a bunch of cowards, a bunch of weaklings. Seeing so many soldiers, they would rather kneel down and lick their boots..." Lepidus said angrily, wearing an almost manic expression.
"You're drunk," Catulus said.
"I'm not drunk. Tell me honestly, am I right?" Lepidus said in exasperation as he grabbed Catulus by the collar.
Sensing the overpowering smell of alcohol, Catulus smiled bitterly; it seemed impossible to persuade him that day.
Late that night, a grand banquet was being held at Lucullus' villa.
Sulla's faction celebrated its great victory, with several noble ladies and members of high society gathered together.
Several people had gathered around Lucullus, Crassus, Hortensius, and other important figures.
"Well done, everyone, for frustrating Lepidus' plot. Let us drink to our victory," Lucullus said arrogantly.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"..."
Crassus and the others joined in, raising their cups of wine.
"The entire Senate of Rome bows before our army of veterans, but we must know when to stop," Lucullus said loudly to all the members of his faction present.
"Yes, there are some nobles and commoners who do not want to see these veterans in Rome. They want Rome to be stable, not chaotic," one senator from the group said in agreement.
"That is understandable," Crassus said approvingly. He also opposed having thousands of angry legionaries inside the city.
An undisciplined army is the most terrifying thing. In the original history, Roman emperors repeatedly died at the hands of their own troops.
Crassus planned to keep his properties in Rome and did not want a mob of enraged legionaries to loot and burn his shops and residences in the city.
"The Senate has negotiated with us and hopes that the veterans will behave while inside the city," Lucullus finally said with a headache.
The massive influx of veterans had created even more chaos within the city.
Sulla's earlier purges had left deep trauma among many senators.
As a result, a large group of senators sent people to persuade Lepidus to abandon his plan to convene the citizens' assembly.
It was only a matter of time before Lepidus gave up on convening the citizens' assembly.
Even within Lepidus' own faction, many senators were terrified and wanted to drive Sulla's armed veterans out of the city.
On the other hand, Lepidus himself undoubtedly wanted those soldiers to leave Rome as soon as possible.
The banquet continued slowly amid the laughter and congratulations of all the members of Sulla's faction.
"Have you noticed how active Lucullus has been these past few days?" Crassus said with a hint of sarcasm.
The senator beside Crassus nodded.
"That idiot Lucullus thinks he can lead us. Hahaha," Crassus mocked inwardly, without expecting a response from the senator standing before him.
Because of Septimus' butterfly effect,
Lucullus, as Sulla's designated successor, had the ambition to lead his entire faction.
Unfortunately for Lucullus, his ambitions were impossible.
Neither Crassus, Metellus, Catulus, nor the other nobles would submit to Lucullus' influence.
Even Septimus, known for being vindictive and irrational, had been difficult to control while Sulla was alive, and he certainly would not be controlled by the mere Lucullus.
Lucullus had neither money, nor experience, nor men; his ambition of uniting Sulla's forces was simply an illusion.
Three days passed quickly.
Lepidus, finally unable to withstand the immense pressure, officially announced the cancellation of the Assembly and declared that he would no longer propose a bill to bring back the exiled nobles.
The veterans cheered, but they departed while cursing Lepidus profusely.
Lepidus' prestige collapsed afterward; he withdrew almost completely from public life, seemingly abandoning his political ideals.
But only Septimus knew that Lepidus would not give up so easily.
---
In March of 78 BC, the Roman consuls changed office.
The Roman calendar was highly chaotic, with only ten months and 304 days in a year.
Two months were excluded from the calendar because productive activities were considered impossible.
The Latin suffix **"mber"** refers to the eighth, ninth, and tenth months of the year.
In English, these would be October, November, and December.
In the original history, it was not until Julius Caesar reformed the calendar that a year officially consisted of twelve months.
After resigning from his consulship and leaving Rome, Lepidus looked back at the city with a furious and venomous gaze, swearing that he would soon return with his own army, and that those who had humiliated him would pay a terrible price.
City of Decapitation.
"Ah! Daddy! Hug me!" a beautifully delicate little girl cried in a sweet childish voice, stretching out her arms.
She had short hair that reached her ears and a round face that made anyone want to pinch her cheeks.
"All right, my dear Luna, Daddy will hug you," Septimus said, lifting the little girl into his arms and affectionately ruffling her hair, making her laugh.
"Daddy, I want a hug too," another little girl, about five years old, said.
"Haha, come here, little one," Septimus said with a smile.
"You're already so big, and you still want Daddy to carry you?" Septimus said with a smile as he crouched down and hugged the little girl.
A group of children quickly ran over and also demanded that Septimus carry them.
Septimus' children were growing rapidly.
Throughout the entire region of Campania, schools were being built on a large scale.
The clones had infiltrated the entire region of Campania, and consequently Septimus had thousands of sons and daughters being born every year.
Septimus could not be cruel to his own descendants, and he possessed more than enough ability and power to provide them with a good environment in which to grow.
The first step toward improving every child's quality of life was healthcare, education, and nutrition.
The construction of modern cities would take decades because of the era's low productivity.
Septimus could not provide an aristocratic lifestyle for all his children scattered throughout the region of Campania, but as a father he could provide them with the best possible environment for growth and teach them the finest skills to survive and thrive.
The new schools under construction would train warriors, craftsmen, intellectuals, and experts in agriculture.
Slowly, the region of Campania would become a society with an educational system whose discipline was even stricter than that of Sparta.
After playing with the little ones, Septimus, tired, headed to his office.
A piece of news that shocked all of Rome caught Septimus' attention.
**Lepidus had rebelled!**
After leaving the city of Rome, Lepidus was appointed governor of the province of Cisalpine Gaul and, according to the law, was allowed to raise two legions. However, on his way to assume his post, someone discovered that he had already raised more than two legions and reported it to the Senate.
The exiled nobles also seized the opportunity, gathered under his command, and were now marching toward Rome.
Five clones had infiltrated Lepidus' army as legionaries.
Lepidus had four legions, and with the support of the exiled nobles, he was preparing to raise a fifth.
Lepidus' rebellion alarmed the Senate, and Consul Catulus, with the Senate's support, raised two legions to confront Lepidus.