“You’re a dense man if you can’t understand Lucianus’s sensitive heart,” a woman’s voice echoed through the room.
Lucianus turned toward the voice and widened his eyes in surprise. “Juliana?”
His cousin stood at the entryway of the dressing room. Absolutely taken aback by her presence, he hastily moved away from Dominatus.
“You might be the best gladiator around, but you’re nothing much when it comes to romance,” she said.
“Who are you?” Dominatus asked. He was completely unfazed by the woman who looked down at him with her arms crossed.
“I’m Juliana, Lucianus’s older cousin. My husband is the senator Maltheus Minoras Kaidu. My father is Valius Carusso Naulo.”
“Oho? You’re General Naulo’s daughter, I see,” Dominatus replied.
“Former general. He’s now a governor in D’Aleppo.”
“Juliana!” Lucianus cried. “It’s rude to suddenly enter the bath while a guest is around. What happened to Kaira?”
“I’m right here, my lord,” Kaira said. He appeared behind Juliana, and had likely been gauging the scene from the dressing room. “I’m terribly sorry. I tried my best to stop her, but Lady Juliana refused to listen. I shall take her away immediately. Right this way please, my lady.”
“What’s the problem, Lucianus?” Juliana replied. She pushed Kaira’s hand away. “I’ve known for a while that you were with Dominatus anyway.”
“That’s not the issue. Sir Dominatus is my lord’s precious guest. I ask that you please refrain from any shameful acts.”
“Shameful? How dare you.”
“Barging in while a guest is bathing is surely a breach of etiquette.”
Juliana glared at Kaira, but she’d also known the man ever since she was a young child. She didn’t try to pick much of a fight with him.
“Then I’ll strip and bathe with them,” she said. “You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
“Kaira, you may step back,” Lucianus finally said. “I’m sure she’ll leave of her own accord once she’s satisfied.”
It was wise not to provoke her any further—Juliana was the type to actually remove her clothes right then and there to bathe with the two men.
“Why are you here?” Lucianus asked.
Juliana sat on the marble staircase. “I came to inform you of something. I went to your manor, where I learned that you went off to your villa in Filena with Dominatus. I was shocked. I pieced together why you started to visit the colosseum you despised so much. You didn’t have to hide it from me. Why act so distant like I’m a stranger?”
Juliana may not have judged love between two men, but for Lucianus, it came as a shock of a lifetime. The two cousins may have divulged their innermost thoughts to each other regularly, but Lucianus still found it difficult to speak to her about his love.
“I’m sorry to shock you,” Lucianus apologized. “I was planning on telling you one day.”
Juliana glanced at Dominatus. “You’re covered in wounds. Your battle against Grucos was magnificent, but you weren’t your usual self. You’d normally act like you’ve got the disadvantage to get the crowd going, but you were serious from the beginning to the end of that match. You weren’t fighting to win—you were fighting to kill Grucos, no matter what it took.”
“Is that a problem?” Dominatus asked. A faint smile stretched across his lips.
“Of course it is. You must be mad to kill the emperor’s favorite. The moment your sword pierced Grucos’s chest as the final blow, the emperor stood up and left, all pale faced.”
That day, Dominatus fought not as a gladiator, but as a man who had his family stolen away. He was there to kill Grucos. But Dominatus had no intention of telling Juliana that truth.
“The crowd also chanted for his death,” he replied curtly.
“How brazen you are,” Juliana replied. “It’s only natural for you to earn the emperor’s ire.”
“I’m not afraid of him.”
“You don’t understand anything, do you?!” Juliana shouted. Her eyes grew wide and sharp. “You’re a wanted man! How could you bathe in leisure? The emperor dispatched troops to the gladiator school in hopes of capturing you!”
Even Dominatus didn’t expect this as he frowned. “What did you just say?”
“I don’t care what happens to you, but I wouldn’t want Lucianus to get dragged into this mess! I had my carriage go as fast as it could to let you two know!”
“I don’t understand, Juliana,” Lucianus said. “Why is the emperor trying to capture Dominatus? Killing a man in a gladiator battle isn’t a crime.”
“Publicly, Dominatus is wanted for treason.”
“Treason? Surely this is some sort of mistake.”
“Why don’t you both get dressed? We should continue this discussion in your room.”