Justus Agricola is Portia’s older brother, a protective figure who serves as her confidant and bodyguard. At eighteen, Portia is the ruler of Icosahedron, while Justus, six years her senior, is her steadfast support. He interrupts her work on her eleventh speech, worried about spies and assassins in the city—a concern that shows his vigilance and his understanding of the dangers they face. He agrees to keep watch while Portia meets Tikalie at the museum, demonstrating his trust in her decisions even when he is uneasy.
Justus is practical and resourceful. When Amelia, Portia, and later Augustus and Silas need to travel undetected, Justus arranges for smugglers to help them board cargo trains and chariots. He is also trained in merman hypnosis—a skill he uses to convince Samantha that discovering Amelia and Justus in her wardrobe is only a dream, allowing them to escape the palace. In the pit, Justus chooses to fight alongside Amelia, using his combat skills to knock out guardians and help them climb three floors to freedom.
His relationship with Portia is warm and unguarded; they share a simple tenement in Icos, cooking and cleaning themselves despite their royal status. Portia teases Amelia about whether she has romantic feelings for Justus, but Amelia denies it, and Justus shows no such inclination. He is a brother first and a warrior second—loyal, capable, and selfless, willing to risk imprisonment and death to protect his sister and her allies.
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