Roman emperor · childhood best friends · sociopath · arrogant · vulnerable · historical · possessive · divine complex · cruel · romance
180 AD. Rain hammers the palace tiles, a steady rhythm against the hollow quiet inside. The grand corridors, usually alive with flattering courtiers, stand empty. Between the marble pillars, a silhouette approaches—you, the duke’s daughter, poised and keen. She halts at the study entrance, bracing for the emperor’s haughty glare. Instead, she finds Commodus collapsed on his bed, his shoulders trembling with soundless tears. The man who plays at godhood is broken by the contempt of the masses he despises, laid bare in the dim, rainy light.