I Enslaved The Goddess Who Summoned Me - Chapter 597: Cleopatra's arrival at Rome (1)

Chapter 597: Cleopatra’s arrival at Rome (1)

Rome was drowning in celebration.

From the narrowest alley to the grandest marble avenue, the entire capital buzzed with restless anticipation. Trumpets echoed in the distance, banners fluttered above crowded streets, and the people of Rome pressed forward in unison toward the great gates. Word had spread days—no, weeks—earlier through every district of the city: today, at long last, the great Queen and Pharaoh of the Amun Ra Empire would set foot in Rome.

Cleopatra.

There was not a soul within the capital who did not know her name.

Even before she had ascended the throne, even before her brother had branded her a traitor and ordered her death, even before her father had drawn his final breath, Cleopatra had already been known throughout the world. Tales of her beauty had traveled faster than ships; stories of her intelligence had reached courts and scholars alike. She was spoken of not merely as a woman of allure, but as one of sharp wit, political cunning, and an iron will hidden beneath silk and gold.

Yet it was only after her exile—after she fled Alexandria, hunted and betrayed—that her legend truly began to grow.

Driven from her own throne by her younger brother, Cleopatra did not vanish into obscurity as many had expected. Instead, she did the unthinkable. She gathered allies, forged her own faction, and carved a path back toward power with audacity that left even seasoned rulers astonished. Her return was not quiet, nor was it gentle. When she reclaimed her throne and was crowned Queen and Pharaoh, the world took notice.

A woman ruling Amun Ra was rare.

A woman reclaiming it through strength, intellect, and strategy was unprecedented.

And the fact that she stood not beneath, but beside Julius Caesar himself—meeting him as an equal—only magnified her fame. Cleopatra had never considered herself inferior to any ruler, Roman or otherwise. Not to senators, not to kings… and certainly not to Caesar.

Now, Rome awaited her.

Before the towering gates of the city, the crowd had grown so dense that movement became difficult. A wide red path had been cleared through sheer force of authority, cutting cleanly through the sea of bodies and leading directly into the heart of Rome.

And then—at last—they appeared.

Outside the gates stood an awe-inspiring sight: over a thousand Alexandrian soldiers, arranged in perfect formation, their presence disciplined and unwavering. At the center of this living wall of steel and flesh was something even more astonishing—a grand golden carriage, if such a thing could even be called merely a carriage.

It was a spectacle of wealth and power.

Every inch of it gleamed with gold, etched with sacred hieroglyphs and ancient symbols, each one shimmering beneath the Roman sun. Ornamental figures of gods and beasts adorned its sides, their polished surfaces catching the light so fiercely it was almost blinding. The structure was borne upon the shoulders of soldiers, men straining under its weight yet moving in perfect harmony, as if carrying not just gold—but history itself.

And seated atop it, poised and serene, was Cleopatra.

She sat with effortless grace, her posture regal, her presence commanding without a single word spoken. She did not wave. She did not smile excessively. She simply was—a queen in every sense of the word.

As the carriage passed through the gates of Rome, all sound seemed to falter for a heartbeat.

Every gaze snapped toward her.

How could they not?

Cleopatra was breathtaking beyond expectation.

Her dark hair was intricately braided, each lock falling elegantly over her shoulders, woven with delicate golden ornaments that chimed softly with her movement. Her eyes—sharp, luminous—burned with shades of amber and gold, alive with intelligence and quiet confidence. They were not the eyes of a decorative queen, but of a ruler who had survived betrayal, exile, and war.

Her skin carried a hue unfamiliar to Rome—exotic, warm, neither pale nor dark, but a mesmerizing sun-kissed tone born from the blazing lands of Amun Ra. It spoke of heat, desert winds, and a land far older than Rome itself.

She wore a white tunic that clung perfectly to her form, its fabric flowing yet revealing the elegant curves beneath, neither modest nor vulgar, but unmistakably deliberate. Every detail of her appearance was calculated—not to invite desire alone, but admiration, reverence, and awe.

She did not merely enter Rome.

She conquered it with her presence.

In that moment, amid the stunned silence and reverent stares of the Roman people, one truth became undeniable:

Cleopatra was not just beautiful.

She was magnificent.

The moment Cleopatra became fully visible to the people of Rome, the city erupted.

Cheers burst forth from men and women alike, rolling through the streets like a tidal wave. Voices overlapped, cries of admiration echoing against stone and marble as her name was shouted again and again. Some praised her beauty openly, others her elegance, others still simply stared in stunned silence, struck speechless by the living vision before them.

Cleopatra, for her part, received it all with effortless poise.

A charming, knowing smile curved her lips as she lifted her hand and waved—a simple, graceful gesture, unhurried and deliberate. Yet that single wave ignited the crowd even further. The cheers grew louder, the energy sharper, as if Rome itself leaned closer to her presence. It was astonishing how little she needed to do.

She did not speak.

She did not proclaim herself.

And yet, with silence alone, she conquered their hearts.

The golden carriage continued its slow advance through the city, drawing more attention with every passing step. Heads turned, people pushed forward, some climbing atop steps and statues just to catch another glimpse of her. Her arrival stirred more excitement—more raw emotion—than even Julius Caesar’s triumphant return from the Alexandrian campaign had ever managed to provoke.

Such a thing was unthinkable.

And it did not go unnoticed.

Within the political heart of Rome, senators watched in disbelief as the streets surrendered themselves to a foreign queen. Her popularity—so sudden, so overwhelming—shocked them deeply. This was not how Rome was meant to react. Not to an outsider. Not to a woman. And certainly not to a ruler who was neither Roman nor submissive.

Yet Rome adored her.

Nearly half an hour passed before the procession finally reached its destination—the Theatre of Pompey.

There, waiting in solemn formation, stood several dozen Roman soldiers, their armor polished, their posture rigid. At the center of their ranks were the figures of authority meant to receive her: Crassus and the Pope standing prominently at the front, with Fulvius and Servilia positioned just behind them.

The moment Cleopatra’s carriage came to a halt, every gaze fixed upon her.

For the first time, they saw her not through rumors or secondhand tales, but with their own eyes.

And immediately, they understood.

The legends were not exaggerated.

If anything, they were insufficient.

“Greetings, Queen of Amun,” Crassus spoke first, his voice steady yet unmistakably edged with awe as his eyes lingered upon her.

Cleopatra regarded them calmly from her elevated seat. Her gaze swept over the assembled Romans—measured, composed, unreadable—before she finally rose to her feet.

At once, two of her soldiers stepped forward, positioning a staircase crafted entirely of gold against the carriage. Each step gleamed brilliantly beneath the sun. Without hesitation, Cleopatra descended.

She moved with fluid grace, every step precise, every motion elegant, as if the world itself slowed to accommodate her. The crowd watched in rapt attention. Roman soldiers—battle-hardened men accustomed to blood and war—found themselves swallowing hard, some openly gulping as she passed before them.

She exuded an undeniable allure.

It was not merely her beauty, nor the way her tunic clung to her form, nor the soft sway of her movements. It was something deeper—an overwhelming presence, a confidence so absolute it felt intoxicating. Cleopatra did not try to seduce.

She simply existed.

And in doing so, she commanded desire, admiration, and respect in equal measure.

When Cleopatra’s feet finally touched Roman ground, the moment felt strangely heavy.

She moved forward at an unhurried pace, her steps measured and deliberate, the soft fabric of her tunic brushing against her legs as she crossed the short distance between herself and the Roman delegation. Every eye followed her. She stopped only a few feet away from Crassus and the others, close enough to command attention, yet distant enough to remind them that she answered to no one here.

Her gaze settled on Crassus, sharp and curious, a faint smile playing upon her lips—one that held neither warmth nor hostility, but something far more dangerous: amusement.

“Greetings, Emperor,” she said smoothly, her voice calm, melodic, and effortlessly confident. “I must admit, I am surprised. Caesar never mentioned ruling alongside another Emperor.”

The words were polite.

The implication was not.

Crassus maintained his smile, though it stiffened almost imperceptibly. Inside, irritation flared—directed not at Cleopatra, but at Caesar. That man had always been reckless with power and careless with words. Still, Crassus said nothing. He knew better than to respond impulsively, especially when it was painfully obvious that Cleopatra had not spoken out of genuine confusion.

She was testing him.

Testing all of them.

Her eyes flicked briefly across the faces before her, taking in expressions, postures, silences—reading them as easily as parchment. Cleopatra had ruled courts far more treacherous than Rome’s; she knew when a statement was meant as bait, and when a pause spoke louder than words.

It was the Pope who answered instead.

“Caesar has always been… selective,” he said calmly. “Especially when matters do not concern himself.”

Cleopatra inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment, her expression thoughtful.

“That may well be true,” she replied.

Her gaze drifted past them then, no longer focused on Crassus or the Pope. She scanned the surroundings slowly, unmistakably clear—she was looking for someone.

Crassus cleared his throat, stepping forward just enough to reclaim control of the moment.

“Then, please,” he said, gesturing toward the entrance of the Theatre of Pompey. “Let us go inside, where we may speak properly.”