IV
VENUS IN ROME
Veneralia, the festival of Venus Verticordia, the Changer of Hearts, had arrived in Rome, and with it came the hopes and dreams of many a man, woman, and longing lover. This was indeed a propitious time of year in this beating heart of the world. Spring’s fresh face was now fully visible, and the scent of new growth and splash of coloured blooms was everywhere.
The people of Rome were truly content, especially as the great wars that had raged were now at an end, and waves of Roman troops had already returned home to their families, friends, and sweethearts.
After a long and brutal civil war, in which Emperor Severus had come out the victor, the legions had almost immediately marched East to combat the Parthian Empire. It had been a long and b****y conflict, but Rome ha
