He ultimately still betrayed the emperor of the empire before his eyes.

But among the others around Valentinian III, whether it was him, or Maximus, or even the attendant officer Hercules whom they had just seen, who dared to say they hadn't betrayed this His Majesty the Emperor?

Hercules was one of the most trusted by Valentinian III, holding a position higher than Quintus, because Quintus was a jester, while Hercules was responsible for the emperor's safety.

Maximus plotted so much, yet in the end, it might not match the trust of the emperor.

Aetius was dead.

No matter from what angle, Valentinian III would choose to support the person he trusted the most and who was completely loyal to him to take a higher position.

The emperor still thought of stabbing the Senate in the back!

Even if the plot succeeded, in the end, the Senate still couldn't lay their hands on the military power. He would support his attendant officer to ascend.

These were just Quintus's speculations.

But such a small figure often sees the clearest because he needs to cater to everyone, instead becoming the most sober observer.

Even if the emperor of the empire, Valentinian III, won in the end, he still would be a favored jester, impossible to become a noble of the Senate.

Quintus didn't want to be a jester; he thought he had talents and could climb to a higher position.

A few days passed quickly.

In the first light of dawn.

A clatter of hooves echoed on the streets of Ravenna, then an elite personal guard escorted an old man straight toward the palace.

In less than a year, Aetius had aged considerably.

After all, he was an old man in his sixties. After the battle of Sharon, he showed signs of aging, later resisting the Hunnic army's attack, then caught a plague, bedridden for more than a month, completely relying on his robust health to pull through.

Aetius was actively supporting his son Gordentius to ascend, but his son didn't have much military merit, so he thought of a good plan.

Which was to form a marriage alliance with the emperor, letting his son marry the well-reputed Princess Praxidica.

In this way, his son inheriting his political legacy would be justified and could also ease relations with the emperor, letting his son become the emperor's son-in-law.

This was a lack of political acumen.

Aetius was indeed a famous general, but he didn't think of one thing, which was that if his son married Princess Praxidica, the emperor might not be able to sleep well at night.

Call off the wedding?

Cancelling the wedding was impossible!

One was the emperor of the Western Roman Empire, the other was the Protector of the Empire; if the wedding were called off, where would his face be?

The general's personal guard galloped all the way to the palace, and no one dared to stop them.

"His Majesty only allows the Protector of the Realm to enter the palace alone."

The attendant officer Hercules stopped the following general's personal guard, passing a look to the people beside him. Aetius's general personal guard was veteran warriors; if ten or so followed him in, maybe they could protect Aetius and fight their way out of the palace.

Ordinary palace guards couldn't stop these elite warriors who had crawled out of Corpse Mountain and Blood Sea.

Though Aetius had made great achievements, in recent years he had become somewhat arrogant, feeling he was loyal to the empire, so he thought nothing of it, directly signaling for the general's personal guard to stay outside, entering the palace alone, even taking off his armor.

Hercules led the way, a slight murderous intent already in his slightly narrowed eyes.

Before long.

Aetius saw the emperor of the empire ahead; he had watched Valentinian III grow up, seeing the emperor as a little kid who didn't understand things, often speaking without giving any face, as if scolding his junior.

Quintus stood in the corner outside the great hall, tense in expression, at this moment, he felt his palms shaking.

Indeed!

After only a few minutes in, he heard Aetius and Valentinian III arguing loudly, engaged in a fierce dispute, and the long-held dissatisfaction of the emperor with Aetius erupted completely, his expression excited and crazy, his temples pulsating with veins, looking at the old man in front of him with bloodshot eyes.

Still, Aetius was unyielding, angrily saying: "Calling off the wedding is impossible!"

A marriage contract is not child's play.

Clang.

Before he finished speaking, the crazed Valentinian III had drawn his sword in a rage, stabbing Aetius right through in disbelief.

After all, Aetius was already old.

He didn't expect that the emperor of the Western Roman Empire would suddenly draw a sword against him.

Splurt.

Blood gushed forth.

This sword struck the heart, and Aetius's breath instantly weakened.

At this point, Valentinian III, coming to his senses, showed a hint of fear, but after all, he had been emperor for so many years, immediately turned to look at the others behind him.

That sharp gaze even had a somewhat eerie effect.

Maximus was the first to draw a sword and stab it into Aetius's body, followed by Hercules, and then the nobles of the Senate in the great hall, then the close guard attendants, and finally, the emperor's gaze fell on Quintus.

Quintus trembled slightly, drew a dagger, and stabbed it into the already riddled chest of Aetius.

Poor Protector of Rome, died more miserably than Caesar did back then, stabbed nearly a hundred times, blood already flowing out of the hall, internal organs pierced to shreds.

Caesar was assassinated by the Senate back then, yet his corpse was not nearly as ghastly.

"Your Majesty."

Hercules, expression excited, said in a deep voice: "The most important thing now is to deal with Aetius's confidants and his son Gordentius."

"He must die!"

At this point, Valentinian III was out of ideas. The Senate nobles and palace guards immediately sprang into action, tricking the general's personal guard outside to come in, then closed the doors tight, next came dozens of guards armed with crossbows, in a slaughter, wiped out these veteran warriors.

It didn't take long before trembling attendants cleaned up the blood in the great hall, and soon guards rushed to the military camp, luring all of Aetius's trusted confidants in the Imperial Army and the military to the palace to be slaughtered.

When Quintus walked out of the palace with trembling legs, he saw the excited face of Hercules, holding a young man's head in his hand.

Gordentius!

The Imperial Senate had long been conspiring and preparing, nearly wiped out Aetius's confidants in the army.

In just a day or two.

Emperor Valentinian III completely took over control of the palace guards, then he slept an unprecedentedly good sleep, and finally announced the name of the next supreme commander of the empire the following day.

Hercules.

This fellow relied on executing Gordentius, leaped from a palace attendant officer to the highest military commander of the empire.

In just a few days, the sky changed over the Western Roman Empire.

After appointing a confidant as the supreme commander of the empire, Valentinian III hurriedly summoned Quintus, sending him secretly to Gaul to meet the Governor of Britain, Duncan, promising to marry Princess Praxidica to him, and appointing him as governor of the British and Gallic provinces.

This position was akin to the commander of the Gallic province and the British province's forces, controlling both military and political power, with a status second only to the emperor and marshal of the empire.

For a while.

The entire Western Roman Empire focused on Duncan of the Gaul Region, whose astonishing prestige of killing God's Whip as the Governor of Britain and gradually recovering Britain and Gaul. If he wanted to stand up and support Valentinian III, siding with him as the emperor, it might really suppress the backlash from Aetius's assassination, after all, the highest authority in the military was dazzling military merit!

But if doing so, Duncan would have to bear quite a bit of infamy.

Everyone was waiting for Duncan's attitude, even Maximus, who was indignant over his failed plans, temporarily held back, because if Duncan fully supported Valentinian III, the Senate wouldn't dare to make significant moves.

But all the news seemed to sink into the sea.

.........

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