Contents
Chapter 28. Before: Luca
Overview
Luca meets Maris in the Citadel baths, where she secretly gives him an Ophelius-sealed message for Vitrasian and exposes a plot to topple the Consul by weaponizing the failed harvests. Luca reveals he won’t take Kastor’s seat; Maris counters by proposing marriage to consolidate power and reform the Forum. They seal their commitment, setting a new political alliance and romantic bond that could upend the Citadel’s balance.
Summary
Luca enters the elite Citadel baths using the Casperias’ token, aware of the risk and surveillance surrounding his rising profile. He finds Maris, who offers him a sealed scroll from Ophelius intended for Vitrasian, despite the Citadel’s ban on their contact. Luca pockets the message, wary of Rhea and the secrecy involved.
Maris pivots to politics, warning Luca that his faction plans to petition for new leadership and that Casperia and allied Magistrates aim to hang the failed harvests on the Consul. Luca admits he will not take Kastor’s seat, provoking Maris to reveal a broader conspiracy involving Magistrates Gracilia and Aquintis and the Consul’s scribe.
As tension escalates, Luca rejects being used as a pawn. Maris counters with a radical strategy: she asks Luca to marry her. By uniting their names and seats, they could dismantle factional power, position Vale to become Consul, and rebuild the Forum and Citadel.
Luca agrees on the condition of true vows, not merely political ones. Maris affirms her belief that their fates are entwined. The scene culminates with them consummating their bond, transforming personal love into a high-stakes alliance intended to overturn the Citadel’s entrenched order.
Who Appears
- LucaKastor’s heir-apparent; receives a forbidden message, rejects taking the seat, and accepts Maris’s marriage proposal to reshape the Forum.
- Maris CasperiaMagistrate’s daughter; warns of a plot against the Consul, proposes marriage to unite power, and consummates an alliance with Luca.
- CasperiaMaris’s mother; offstage architect leveraging harvest failures, poised to undercut Luca’s faction and the Consul.
- VitrasianScholar/astronomer; target recipient of a forbidden Ophelius-sealed message Maris passes through Luca.
- Magistrate GraciliaNamed conspirator aligning with Casperia to topple the Consul using the harvest crisis.
- Magistrate AquintisNamed conspirator aiding Casperia’s maneuver to destabilize the Consul.