The Emperor — Volume 10

The narrative follows Selene, a recovering and reflective young woman whose encounters with a compassionate widow and a devout blind child lead her toward Christian faith and baptism, prompting moral reckoning and a desire to serve. The group, including the widow's adopted children and companions, voyages to a town in Upper Egypt to begin a new, devout life. Parallel threads trace Antinous's unsettled longing after Selene's departure and an imperial entourage arriving nearby, where courtly anxieties and concealed misfortunes complicate ceremonial reception. Themes include conversion, familial duty, suffering, and the tension between private devotion and public power.