"I accept."
Nathan's voice rang out clear and unwavering, cutting through the heavy silence that had settled over the chamber like a suffocating shroud. At his words, Julius Caesar's lips curved into a pleased, almost regal smile—one of triumph, of inevitability. It was not the grin of a man who had won a game, but the smirk of a conqueror who had known the outcome from the beginning.
Yet not all shared in Caesar's satisfaction.
Standing behind him, Marcus Antoinus and Octavius exchanged cold glances, their expressions a mixture of distaste and restrained fury. The decision clearly didn't sit well with them, their pride bruised by the unexpected twist. To see Nathan, an outsider, take control of the situation and offer terms that Caesar accepted—it was a blow to their egos neither of them could fully mask.
