Pacing in his room, Nero had known that Julia was the
love of his life the moment they met and knew he that could not wait any longer
to confess his love. However, he did not know was if she felt the same. He summoned
his slave, Avitus, to find out if Julia felt the same way by talking to her
slave and seeing if she confided about her feelings towards Nero.
Avitus immediately left to the forum to find Tulia,
Julia’s slave. Avitus ran searching for Tulia in the forum where she usually
was shopping for the family. He saw her blonde hair walking on the via sacra. Avitus
called her name, “Tulia! Tulia!” until she turned around; Julia and Tulia were
both surprised as to what he wanted with them. He greeted Julia and asked if he
could ask her slave a question. Julia starred at him wondering what was so
important that she stated, “Only if I can listen as well.” Avitus told them
both about how Nero felt and that he was leaving to study in Greece. Julia’s
face turned red with anger and she lashed out at Avitus, “Why couldn’t your
master just come ask me himself? Why did he need to ask my slave about my
feelings about him? Does he not have the courage of a man to ask me?” Julia
felt insulted that Nero could not ask him herself but instead had to go about
the cowardly way. She barked him to leave them and return to his master. Avitus
dashed back to the Palatine hill, panting all the way back to Nero’s room.
After catching his breath, Avitus told Nero about how angered Julia was about
how he did not confront her but rather had to ask through their slaves. Nero
suddenly felt as though he like a coward and wanted to talk to her. Avitus told
him that she went home because she was so angry that he was not courageous
enough to simply ask himself. Nero went sprinted to Julia’s house and knocked
on the door. Julia answered the door herself knowing that it would be Nero who
wanted to talk to her; she instantly started screaming at him for what a coward
he was and that she no longer thought of him the same way. In the end, Julia
stated, “…To answer your question though, yes, I do feel the same about you.”
She then slammed the door on Nero. Nero knocked and knocked on the wooden door
screaming, “I love you! You are the only person I want in this world! JULIA!” After
a few minutes, she reopened the door with a smile because those were all that she
wanted to hear.
