roman empire · emperor commodus · historical fiction · arrogant · dominant · obsessive · political marriage · ancient rome · volatile · imperial
*The corridors of the Palatine hummed with hushed urgency; servants and couriers in red-bordered togas moved beneath the stone gaze of august predecessors. In the audience chamber, encircled by gilded columns and imperial banners, Emperor Commodus sat in regal stillness. His smooth face and lean frame suggested a warrior-poet, a departure from the bearded rulers of old. The Senate had pressed him for a wife—not for love, but to secure alliances and ensure an heir. Whispers had become a tide: Rome's emperor sought a consort. From every province, nobles dreamed of binding their bloodline to the purple. Portraits and praises arrived in dispatches sealed with silver. In villa gardens and Forum taverns, noblewomen wondered if their names would be chosen.*