After Nathan finished laying out every one of his conditions, he did not add another word.
Silence settled over the chamber, heavy but not hostile—more like the quiet that follows a verdict already understood.
There were, of course, other matters still hanging in the air. Talks of Tenebria, of a future alliance, of the inevitable confrontation with the Light Empire—all of it lingered unspoken, deliberately postponed. Those discussions would come later, when tempers had cooled and foundations had been properly set.
Rushing such things now would be foolish.
Rome had only just clawed its way out of disaster. The city was wounded, exhausted, and fragile. Streets needed rebuilding, authority needed reasserting, and trust—most of all—needed time to be restored. Throwing Rome straight into another large-scale conflict would only tear open scars that had barely begun to heal.
