While Freja and her classmates remained engrossed in conversation with Cleopatra near the far end of the hall, Nathan made his entrance some minutes later, arriving just after Elin had already finished dressing and rejoined the gathering.
The effect was immediate.
The moment he crossed the threshold into the grand hall, a subtle ripple of awareness spread through the assembled crowd like a stone dropped into still water. Heads turned—first one, then another, then dozens more—until it seemed that every Roman senator, nobleman, and distinguished guest in the chamber had been drawn to him by some invisible magnetic force. Conversations didn't stop entirely, but they faltered, voices dropping to hushed murmurs as eyes tracked his movement across the polished marble floor.
