A home run with this story. You have an element here that is missing in so many stories, even well-written stories. You have given us something new. Most remarkably, you have built your new story on something old. Very, very clever. Kudos for arc, for prompt, and for the hook.
Thank you for sharing this most clever story with us. We appreciate that you support other authors by commenting on their stories.
(One suggestion: change the spelling of curtius to courteous 😃)
Oh, thank you for the compliment and the spelling tip!