"I can't believe you took it! How could you?! bring her back I do not want her. I don't care who she is or how important she used to be. She's ugly." Terra scolded her father on the way home and didn't stop when they entered her villa. Her father watched the new slave girl with sympathy, who followed them embarrassed and had to overhear everything. "She heard you Terra. And now behave yourself!". "I told you I didn't want her!" - "But I want her for you."
As soon as the door opened, Luca knew that his father and sister were back. His sister's angry voice, which could be heard throughout the house, confirmed his suspicions. He walked into the living room and kept a safe distance, stopping in the arc. He saw his sister desperately talking to her father, who had taken a book and ignored her. Then his gaze wandered to the girl standing in the corner of the room. Her head was bowed and she was way too skinny. Her hair was too short and her stance slouched, as if it took a lot of strength to stand. He had imagined the daughter of Festizius differently. Somehow he felt sorry for her.
She caught his gaze and looked up. Small tears slowly ran down her sunken cheeks. Her blue eyes were large and her lips were full. There was something about her that made her mysterious, but Luca didn't know what. "Luca don't stand around like that! Now say something!" Terra had noticed him and seemed hoping for his approval. He just shrugged, even though he could understand his sister. This girl wasn't pretty and Terra only wanted the second slave, because of her name and her hoped-for beauty. "Luca has nothing to do with me, Terra and in this house I'm still in charge!" "I wish mom was still here! At least she understood me!"
Just as Terra had said the words, she wished she hadn't. "Sorry father." He put down his book and ran his fingers through his gray hair. "Your aunt could use a slave. Ever since she lost her husband, she's been alone a lot." He looked at Luca thoughtfully. Luca had visited his aunt more often lately. Whenever he came, she began to smile and forgot her loneliness. But as soon as the day, and with it his visit, came to an end, he noticed how his aunt's mood changed and how she fell back into her dark hole. "She already has a slave father." Nathan knew it. But somehow he had the feeling that Amaya was different. Maybe she could cheer up his sister a bit. "Luca, take her to your aunt."- "Yes sir. ", Luca looked at the girl. "You're coming with me."
Without a word, she followed him out of the house - happy to finally be able to leave. No one had ever insulted Amaya like that. On the contrary: in her home country it was often said that she was one of the most beautiful girls in Armenia and that she inherited her beauty from her mother. But Amaya couldn't blame the girl. She could hardly look at herself in the mirror these days. The last few months had taken her mentally and physically. ,,We walk. It's not far to my aunt's house." Amaya struggled to keep up with him, but he paid no attention to her. "What's your name?" he asked when he finally stopped to get up to wait for her. "Amaya, sir," she replied, out of breath. Didn't he say his aunt lives nearby? She stopped next to him and looked up at him. He just nodded and walked on. Then he finally pointed to a large, isolated house. ,,We are there."
When they entered the large property, he ordered Amaya to wait just outside the door and disappeared into the house. She looked around curiously until the Roman came out of the house again. "It's all settled. You stay here and you will listen to my aunt. If I hear even once that you haven't listened to her, I'll have you thrown to the lions. Got it?” Amaya nodded anxiously. He walked past her and their shoulders brushed briefly. She took a deep breath, then entered what would become her new home.

****
Luca regretted the harsh words he had said to the slave. He could still see her anxious gaze. This look had confused him so much that he immediately made his way home. He'd turned back to her briefly after their shoulders had brushed, but she just stood there, staring at the house. The next time he turned around, she was already inside. It annoyed him that he had treated her so badly and had so little regard for her, but it annoyed him even more that he cared about a slave's feelings...
Amaya quietly entered the large hallway and looked around. A tall, slender woman walked up to her and stopped in front of her. "You must be Amaya. You can rest a little first. I'll be expecting you in the dining room in an hour. I want to learn more about you first." Amaya nodded and was taken to her room by another slave. Exhausted, she dropped onto her bed and closed her eyes. "God, what plan do you have? Help me. I feel me so alone." She softly hummed one of her mother's songs and curled up. She knew what the Romans did to Christians. She was afraid of them and of their future... After a while she got up, washed and went into the dining room, where her mistress was having a glass of wine. ,,Nice that you're here. So you are the daughter of Festizius?" - "Yes." "Sit down. You're probably wondering what I expect from you." Amaya obeyed. "Well, as you probably noticed, I have more than enough slaves. What I wish from you is that you, as a slave, can also be a friend to me at the same time." Surprised, Amaya looked at the woman. She wore her hair pulled back and wrinkles adorned her face. "Yes, mistress."-,, I've been alone a lot since my husband died. A woman is not worth much here in Rome without her husband. No matter how much money she has. Am I correct in assuming that you've never taken on household chores?". Amaya nodded, embarrassed. "You don't have to be embarrassed. It's not common in wealthy households. And that's where you come from, after all." Amaya played with her fingers nervously. ,,
The warm meal did Amaya good. She soon noticed that she had regained more strength and she looked much healthier. She usually spent the evenings with her mistress and ate with her. She quickly fell in love with her and happily served her. The woman really needed a friend and Amaya did her best to accommodate her. "You have changed."-,,What do you mean, mistress?" - "Your hair is longer. You gained some weight and regained a very feminine figure. You are a very pretty girl Amaya." Amaya smiled gratefully at her mistress. "Please bring me a blanket. I'm a bit cold." Amaya quickly got them and put them on her mistress' lap. She shook her hand in thanks and Amaya was glad that she was allowed to be her slave. She could still remember Terra well and how uncomfortable she had felt with her. Nila, her mistress, on the other hand, treated Amaya very well, almost like a daughter at times. "Sing me something." Hesitantly, Amaya began to sing the melody of her favorite psalm. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He feeds me in a green meadow and leads me to fresh water..." Her mistress closed her eyes and only opened them again when Amaya was finished. ,,A beautiful song. You know it from home?"-,,Yes, mistress." "What god did you sing about? Jupiter? Neptune?" Amaya felt a cold shiver run down her back. "No, mistress."-,,From which one?" "The only true god." Nila fell silent. She seemed to understand. "Amaya, are you a Christian?" she finally asked, making Amaya's heart race. Images of Christians crucified, thrown to the lions and used as torches shot into her head. "Answer!" - "Yes." Her mistress grabbed her hands: "You mustn't tell anyone! You don't need to be afraid of me, but other Romans would throw you into the Coliseum without batting an eyelid!". Amaya knew the cruelty of the Romans - but she also knew that she could not deny her God.