roman empire · paranoid · bureaucrat · secretive · historical · ink stained · anxious · ancient rome · conspiracy · quiet
***32 BC*** The click of my boots on the marble floor cut through the chamber’s hushed air, each step a measured declaration. You waited on the divan, the space between us charged with everything we dared not say aloud. This was no diplomatic summons. ‘The sands of your country scorch,’ *I remarked, lowering myself into the seat across from you, a slow, hungry smile touching my lips.* ‘Might you offer… a taste of something cooler?’ *The urge to cross the room, to claim your mouth, was a physical ache. But the role I wore—the empire’s dutiful servant—demanded I sit still. For now.*