The silence in the room was broken by a light knock on the door.
"Sir… the guests have arrived," Adriano said.
Eduardo nodded.
"You may bring them in."
Footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Low voices.
And then the door opened.
Three men entered.
Álvaro Bittencourt stood up immediately.
He recognized one of them.
Artur Vale, an Army colonel—and a contact he had invested considerable effort in cultivating. The connection between them wasn't particularly strong. Artur was married to his cousin, and it was through that link that Álvaro secured his nominal support.
Artur noticed him as well, his eyes narrowing for a brief moment. In the end, however, he said nothing—only greeted everyone in the room with proper formality.
The other two men wore naval uniforms and carried themselves with rigid discipline.
It was easy to tell they were high-ranking officers.
That alone made it clear—they were not ordinary figures.
But neither Álvaro nor Artur knew them.
Álvaro had only been a deputy for a few months. He was talented and ambitious—there was no doubt about that—but he still lacked meaningful connections with the military. His only real contact was Artur, an Army colonel based in São Paulo. Initially, Álvaro had a few contacts among sailors in São Paulo, but since moving to Rio de Janeiro at the beginning of the year, he had lost even those.
At present, he knew no one of relevance in the Navy.
But what truly unsettled Álvaro…
was the presence of both Army and Navy in the same room—arranged by a boy.
It didn't make sense.
His gaze shifted toward Luis.
He was speaking with the newcomers naturally.
Too calm.
Too comfortable.
As if this was exactly what he had expected.
After a few formal exchanges, everyone took their seats at the table.
The atmosphere had changed.
Now it was heavier.
Álvaro didn't wait.
"Now that everyone is here…"
His eyes fixed on Luis.
"Can we stop going in circles?"
Luis leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Not yet."
"There's still one more."
This time, it wasn't only Álvaro who reacted.
The other three exchanged quick glances.
Confusion.
Suspicion.
None of them knew exactly why they were there.
They had come out of respect for Eduardo.
And because of his insistence.
But this…
had already gone far beyond a simple gathering.
Among the three, only Colonel Artur seemed less surprised.
When he received the invitation, he had already expected some form of political maneuvering.
But upon encountering naval officers…
And now Álvaro…
And, above all, realizing who was orchestrating everything…
He chose not to try to understand.
Only to observe.
Luis then stood slightly.
"Before we continue…"
He made a subtle gesture.
"Allow me to introduce."
His gaze turned to Álvaro.
"These two officers of the Navy—Admiral Custódio José de Melo and Admiral Saldanha da Gama."
A brief silence followed.
Álvaro and Artur were stunned.
It was obvious the two men were important, but they had never imagined they were facing two admirals.
Álvaro quickly responded with the necessary courtesy.
The two admirals did the same.
Formal.
But distant.
To most present, they were simply influential and important officers.
Nothing extraordinary.
For Luis… it was different.
He knew exactly who they were.
And what they would represent in the near future.
These two men would be responsible for nearly bringing down the fragile Republic in less than three years.
The very admirals behind the Naval Revolt.
The conversation continued.
Superficial.
Careful.
No one committed.
No one exposed themselves.
It was as if everyone was waiting for something.
Or someone.
Then—
the door opened again.
This time, no one announced it.
And it wasn't necessary.
The man who entered carried enough presence to require no introduction.
Impeccable uniform.
Firm posture.
A striking mustache.
A direct, unwavering gaze.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Not even Álvaro, who had been constantly trying to gather information during the dinner.
But the impact was most visible on him.
His eyes widened—truly widened—without disguise.
Because now…
standing before him…
was the man who had overthrown the monarchy.
Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca had entered the room.