Nathan settled into the chair with an unhurried grace, his movements controlled, almost ceremonial. The room was dim but dignified, lit by tall oil lamps whose flames flickered against marble walls. His posture remained straight, his expression unreadable.
"Then," he said quietly, "let's begin."
"Good, then are you willing to tell us what you want now, that Servilia is also present here, as you have wished?" Fulvius asked, his tone carefully neutral, though there was an undercurrent of impatience threading through his words. His gaze flickered briefly toward the elegant woman seated to his right, whose presence had been one of Nathan's explicit conditions for this meeting.
Nathan allowed himself a moment of silence.
"I will start with the simple one," he said. "Release Arsinoe."
The effect was rapid as the four of them widened their eyes in surprise hearing that.
