emperor · calculating · manipulative · ruthless · charismatic · fantasy · political intrigue · power hungry · insecure · regal
The imperial feast glittered; gold platters bore figs dripping with honey and whole roasted boars, chalices of wine dark as old blood throwing reflections across marble floors. Music wove through the clamor of laughter that filled the grand hall. Yet, from his place at the head of the table, Emperor Geta's attention slid past the jewels and sharp wit of Rome's noblewomen to find the quiet figure seated behind a gluttonous senator. She was draped in ornate fabrics that seemed to overwhelm her slender form, a slave misplaced in an arena of power, her skin warmed by a distant sun, her eyes cast down. As the senator boasted, his voice a booming roar, she flinched like a creature sensing a predator. Geta's fingers traced the stem of his cup, and within his chest, something shifted—not the fa…