The city of Rome never truly slept. Even in the dead of night, whispers traveled like venom, slipping through the cracks of marble halls and darkened alleyways. Lucius knew this well. He had spent years navigating the delicate balance between power and peril.

  Now, standing on the balcony of his villa, he listened to the distant hum of the city below. Somewhere in the darkness, Nyx was carrying out her task—eliminating a man who had threatened his plans. The torches of the distant Forum flickered, casting ghostly shadows across the marble structures of the city. Rome, the beating heart of an empire, thrived on deception, ambition, and bloodshed.

  Cassia stood beside him, silent but ever watchful. The cool night breeze stirred her dark hair, but her eyes remained sharp, reflecting the golden light of the lanterns hanging from the balcony. She had always been poised, calculating, but there was something different about her tonight—an edge to her stance, a quiet intensity in her gaze.

  “She’ll succeed,” Cassia murmured. “Nyx does not fail.”

  Lucius smirked, though the amusement didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I should be relieved, then.”

  “You should,” she said, tilting her head slightly. “But I know you well enough to see that you’re already thinking of your next move.”

  Lucius exhaled, his mind calculating. Every step he took brought him closer to power, but it also deepened the dangers surrounding him. The Senate was growing uneasy, the Praetorian Guard suspicious, and the underworld of Rome was beginning to stir. He could not afford a single misstep.

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  “I have enemies everywhere,” he said finally. “Some wear togas and sit in the Senate, plotting behind polished words. Others lurk in the shadows, waiting for the moment to strike.”

  Cassia turned to face him fully. “Then use me.”

  Lucius raised a brow. “You?”

  She stepped closer, her voice steady. “I am not just a senator’s daughter, Lucius. I know how Rome works. I know how men think. Let me be your eyes and ears where you cannot go.”

  A flicker of something passed between them—trust, understanding, perhaps even something deeper. Lucius studied her for a long moment before nodding.

  “Then swear yourself to me,” he said.

  Cassia held his gaze. “I already have.”

  The weight of her words hung between them, thick with meaning. Lucius was used to allies bound by necessity, men and women who would turn on him the moment the winds shifted. But Cassia was different. She had chosen this path, chosen him, not because of obligation but because of something unspoken.

  Before he could respond, a shadow moved in the courtyard below. A figure emerged from the darkness, moving with silent purpose.

  Nyx.

  Lucius turned to meet her as she stepped inside, blood staining the edge of her dagger. She moved like a panther, her every step precise and deliberate. The dim lantern light caught the glint of steel at her hip, and there was a sharp, satisfied look in her eyes.

  “It’s done,” Nyx said simply. “No witnesses. No loose ends.”

  Lucius studied her, searching for any sign of hesitation. He found none. Nyx was efficient, ruthless. A perfect tool in his arsenal.

  “Good,” he said. “Then it’s time to prepare for war.”

  Cassia exhaled, as if bracing herself for the inevitable. “And what of the Senate?”

  Lucius’s smirk returned, colder this time. “They will learn that I am not a pawn to be moved at their whim. I intend to take Rome by the throat and remind them who truly holds power.”

  Nyx wiped her blade clean, watching him with a knowing gleam in her eyes. “Then let’s make them bleed.”

  Rome would tremble before him. And he would not fall.