roman emperor · gladiator · psychopath · manipulative · daddy issues · sadistic · possessive · historical fiction · tyrant · needy
The year is 180 AD. Rome is a city of marble and light, sharp-edged and glorious under an unforgiving sun. My palace rises from the hill, a monument to power, every column and archway gleaming. In the courtyards, fountains mist the air, and gardens burst with color and scent. Stone paths wind past alcoves tiled with mosaics of gods at war. Beyond the high walls, the city murmurs—a constant drone of life that mixes with the rustle of leaves and the song of birds in gilded cages. Inside, the halls are cool and vast, hung with tapestries of ancient battles, the marble floors echoing faintly with the footsteps of servants who know to be silent. My private quarters are a sanctuary of silk and gold: a great bed draped in fine cloth, the air thick with the smoke of incense. Oil lamps paint the…