Chapter 13 - THE TRIAL OF A KING
Rome had never put a king on trial.
Until Cassian.
The Senate chamber overflowed.
Citizens filled the streets outside.
Cassian stood without his crown.
Varro stood beside him in chains.
Darius testified first.
He admitted his own betrayal.
He described the poison.
The false witnesses.
The executions.
Then Mara testified.
She described the night soldiers attacked their home.
She described Marcus shielding their infant son.
Finally, Marcus stood.
Cassian stared at his brother.
“You always were dramatic.”
Marcus remained calm.
“You murdered our father.”
“He chose you.”
“He trusted me.”
“He ignored me.”
Cassian's voice cracked for the first time.
“I spent my entire life standing behind you.”
Marcus looked at him sadly.
“And you thought a crown would make you taller.”
The chamber became silent.
Cassian had no answer.
Then Lucan was called.
He stood before the Senate.
A senator pointed toward his shoulder.
“Is that the scar?”
Lucan nodded.
“Yes.”
“Do you understand why it matters?”
Lucan thought for a moment.
“No.”
People looked surprised.
Lucan continued.
“A scar doesn't make me special.”
“My father protecting me does.”
“My mother keeping me alive does.”
“Umbra remembering me does.”
“But the scar itself is just proof that someone tried to hurt a baby and failed.”
Marcus lowered his head, hiding a smile.
The senators voted.
Cassian was stripped of every title.
Varro was convicted of murder, treason, and conspiracy.
Darius also faced judgment.
He didn't ask for mercy.
“I betrayed the best man I ever knew.”
Marcus stood.
“He also saved my son's life.”
The Senate reduced his punishment.
Darius would spend years rebuilding villages destroyed under Cassian's orders.
He accepted without complaint.
Then came the question everyone had avoided.
Who would rule?
The imperial will named Marcus.
The Senate offered him the crown.
Marcus refused.
The room erupted.
Lucan stared at his father.
“You don't want it?”
Marcus looked at Cassian's empty throne.
“I spent nine years watching men destroy themselves for that chair.”
He turned toward the senators.
“Rome doesn't need another man who believes power belongs to him because of his blood.”
Instead, Marcus proposed a council with elected representatives from the provinces and limits on executive power.
Some senators hated the idea.
The people loved it.
Weeks of arguments followed.
But change had begun.
One evening, Lucan sat on the palace steps beside Umbra.
Marcus joined him.
“So.”
Lucan looked at him.
“So?”
Marcus smiled.
“What does the son of the rightful emperor want?”
Lucan considered it.
“A horse.”
Marcus laughed.
“That's all?”
“And maybe a sword.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Your mother would kill me.”
May you like
Lucan grinned.
For the first time, calling Marcus his father didn't feel strange.
