Chapter 3: Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
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3rd POV*
Staring at the little girl sleeping on the bed, Luke turned his head towards the couple, who had a complicated expression on their faces. "Is this what I think it is?" he asked, only to receive a nod of affirmation. "You're right, this girl has been abandoned," Berillus said, smiling wryly. Both of them are aware of the meaning of Lady Domitia bringing the child here. The only problem is that they won't have time to handle this child.
The two of them are busy with their own perspective jobs; it was the only thing that could help them live. Luke, perhaps sensing what they were contemplating, stared at the child. "May I ask for her name?" he asked, already reaching a decision. He doesn't know whether this will help him adapt, but this might be fate.
"Lady Domitia said 'he' is Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. His father just recently died," Anicetus said, shaking her head. The fact that Lady Domitia insisted on calling the child 'he' means that she must be involved in a bigger scheme. "He? Why is she referred to as such? ... No, that does not matter. Barcillus, Anicetus, can I take care of this child? "Luke sincerely asked the two.
He doesn't know where this craving came from, but he really wished to take care of her. He had a younger sibling in his previous world, so he is confident that he can cope with her. The two are visibly surprised to hear his proposition, but since it was an advantage to them, they did not hesitate to accept it.
'The question now is... how do I provide care to this child when even I am being taken care of by these two? It would be presumptuous of me to rely on them when they are doing their best to survive,' Luke thought, contemplating things. He has no particular skill that can help him survive, but if there was one, it would be his cooking skill.
Reaching a decision, Luke gave an apologetic smile to the two before making his request. "If possible, can I ask for some funds? "He said, scratching the back of his head. It was really awkward asking that after he proclaimed to take care of the child. Anicetus and Berillus just chuckled at hearing him; it seems like they need to open some of their savings to help this lost child.
???
Three months have passed since then. Luke, with the help of Anicetus and Berillus, managed to stand in his own stall. It was located near the streets where people always pass by. In those few months, he captured the hearts of the other vendors around, and he even became the talk of the streets because of his unique looks.
His handsome face, along with his pure blonde hair, really made him stand out from the rest. Thankfully, he had a kind personality, making it easier for him to sneak into society. He was now known on this particular street as a person who sold exceptional delicacies. Though what made him famous the most is the fact that he has a child despite being a teenager himself,.
Because whenever he would sell his hamburger to the crowd, he would always bring the cute child along with him. Luke's thought of Rome is slowly starting to change; he realized that not all places within it are corrupted, but rather only those in higher ups are. He is rather grateful that he hasn't encountered one yet because he doesn't really want to see what would happen then.
One thing that Luke realized upon living in this different reality was that his strength soared immensely. He can somehow break rocks just by pinching them, and in one particular scene, he dislocated a person's shoulder by patting it. That fact helped Luke protect his stall from troublemakers; they are aware that he is not a normal person, so they don't dare do anything to him.
Luke is currently working on his stall, handling the line of customers waiting for their turns. Lucius was also on his side, staring intensely at what he was doing. She was holding a small knife herself while trying to imitate the way he cut the buns. It was such an adorable scene that it melted the hearts of those impatient customers.
"Sigh, little Lucius is enviously cute. My son was not that cute when he was a child," one mother in the line sighed, speaking her grievance about the matter. "Right, right. These two are rather peculiar; they possess beautiful faces that don't match the status of commoners at all." Such talks were normal through these streets.
Luke just finished cooking one of the patties, so he opened the bun before sliding the patty inside. He then placed a piece of lettuce above the meat patty. Lastly, he revealed the secret ingredient to his success: ketchup. He gracefully spread the ketchup inside before closing the bun. He then handed the finished burger to the customer, who smiled in anticipation.
It was clear that he was excited to taste the lusciousness of this burger. He is rather a big fan of this stall because every day after work, he would always line up here to taste that heavenly food. The deliciousness managed to capture his tongue, forcing his body to line up despite having a low income from his work.
This is how influential the burger was; it managed to capture the hearts of every customer who decided to try it. Some were even regretting tasting it because they could never erase the flavor that was soaked in their mouths. The man took a bite through the burger before exclaiming in delight, "GUUUH! Delicious! "His reaction was received with chuckles from the others.
They are used to such scenes because all of them acknowledge the delicacy; if anyone dares to say otherwise, they will not hesitate to rebuke it. "Luke! Your burger still tastes the best! "The man said, crying in delight. His comedic reaction created a humorous atmosphere, which was well received by the other customers.
"Hahaha, thank you for the compliment. I am proud of it." Luke laughed happily, handing another burger to a hungry customer. He shook his head at their antics and was about to reach out for another bun, only for him to hold nothing. 'Ah, I need to cut another batch, huh? ' he thought and was about to take a stock of his bun.
He was stopped on his tracks when he saw a small limb reaching out to him. He looked at Lucius, who just smiled happily at him while handing him an already opened bun. This greatly surprised him because he never thought that she would be able to help him in his job; he already accepted the fact that she could never help and could only serve as a support for him.
Luke patted her head and thanked the little girl, whom he now recognizes as his own daughter. It was a mind-boggling experience for a teenager, but Lucius's mature mind somehow helped him. "Thank you, Lucius," he said, smiling gently. His words made the little girl beam: "Welcome, Papa! ," she said, embracing his leg.
The show between the two made the viewers sigh in envy. They never experienced this sweet interaction between their own children. Luke continued serving the customers before night finally descended, where he then stopped. The regular customers already know that Luke usually closes his stall before night, so they reluctantly got out of their lines.
"Tomorrow again, my real niggas," Luke said, waving at them. They didn't know the meaning of that word, but they still responded in kind. "Make sure the flavor stays the same tomorrow, Luke! Otherwise, we will be taking your son away! "They shouted, earning a chuckle from Luke. They sure love to make little jokes about him.
Luke and Lucius returned to their small yet cozy home. Upon arriving at the door, both of them looked at each other first before doing their usual greetings. "We're home," they said in sync. The two then revealed a bright smile before entering the house.
His business was rather flourishing, so he was able to buy this small house. He is disappointed that this is what he could only afford for Lucius, but the little girl seemed to be satisfied with it. "Lucius, what do you want for dinner? "Luke asked his 'daughter'. The little girl considered for a second before answering, "I want soup! ," she said enthusiastically.
Her answer earned a pat on the head from Luke; she was delighted to feel that. "I'll do just that. Wait a minute, alright? ," he said, going to the kitchen.
Unknown to Luke, who has no knowledge of historical Rome, his action of adopting Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus would lead him to experience one of the most dramatic occurrences in history. And that would be a story for later.
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