“Mother! Don’t speak about Marcella like that,” Aimilia snapped, pulling her shoulder out of her mother’s grip. “She is my friend. Not to mention, nothing of the sort happened with me and Nikias.”
Cyprian snorted. “There’s no point in covering it up anymore. You and Nikias were seen constantly in each other’s presence over the last year. The scandal of the two of you sneaking around at all hours has subsided and will eventually be forgotten once Prince Nikias makes an honest woman of you like he should have the second the two of you were whispered about months ago.”
Aimilia was certain her cheeks were turning a vivid red despite her best efforts to mitigate it with her cosmetics. “We weren’t sneaking around, especially not alone. The library is hardly a clandestine rendezvous spot for lovers, especially not when Gavril and Marcella were there with us, which was theonlyreason the two of us are ever in each other’s presence. Despite what everyone running their mouths think, we were never having any kind of secret tryst. The idea is laughable.”
Mother did in fact laugh, but not at the right thing. “You don’t need to play coy. I’m sure it was nerve-wracking when it all started.”
Cyprian chimed in, “It’s high-time His Highness remarries, and you are the woman he’s closest to and has known for years. You’re the sensible choice.”
“You think a man like Nikias would be moved to marry a sensible choice? Am I the only one left with a functioning mind? Has everyone already forgotten about Faustina?”
Apparently so.
Mother said, “We all recall the talk about Nikias’ insistence he would never remarry, so I can’t blame you for having your doubts early on about what exactly his intentions were.”
They were going to regret these words when she was dragged out of the courtyard in limiter cuffs.
Aimilia shook her head. They hadn’t seen Nikias with Faustina the way she had. Anyone who had would laugh at the idea Nikias could ever think of marrying her after Faustina. How many times had she stood in this very courtyard and watched Nikias with Faustina, his hand somewhere on her arm or waist as he leaned over and murmured in her ear, calling heramata?
Beloved.
Nikias and Faustina’s love was something that came only once in a lifetime.
What could hold a candle to that?
Aimilia had tried and failed. Gavril had found that once in a lifetime love with Marcella instead.
Aimilia spotted Gavril and Marcella slipping in through the side of the peristyle like she had.
She didn’t know how much time she had left.
She certainly wasn’t going to spend any of it wallowing in self-pity.
Aimilia pulled herself away from her mother and uncle and hurried over to Gavril and Marcella, her mother rolling her eyes the second she spotted who Aimilia was heading toward. Aimilia practically crashed into them, grabbing Gavril by the arm and pulling him and Marcella into a shadowy corner.
“You know a hello is an appropriate greeting?” Gavril asked as Aimilia let go, wrapping her arms around her stomach.
“Save the wit. Nikias knows.” Aimilia looked back over her shoulder as music started up and several Runai began dancing.
Gavril and Marcella both lost all their color. Marcella grabbed Aimilia’s arm and leaned it. “He told you such?”
“Not just him. Your mother too. When I went to confront him today about not giving me a post and taking me off the schedule, I heard them talking about it. She told him she wants justice for his father—she knows there was foul play and it’s not a normal illness. He agreed to take care of it tonight. When I spoke to him, he said they might as well get used to me being gone, meaning I’m not going to be around next week to do a patrol. And he invited my mother here. He’s arresting me tonight, I’m certain of it.”
“But did he tell you outright heknew?” Gavril kept his voice desperately low as the three of them huddled together.
“Directly? No, who would? That’s not just something you say.” Aimilia also kept her voice as soft as possible.
“Then how can you be sure that he knows?” Gavril asked. “Did my mother say your name?”
“She said, ‘who else has the means and motive?’ Obviously I am the only one here who has the means and motive. I told you—how else do you explain his actions?”
At that, Marcella shot Gavril a pointed look. He turned to his wife and said, “No.No.It’s not possible. He would have told me. He would have asked me if he stood a chance.”
What were they talking about?
“You are as blind as she is,” Marcella said, nodding toward Aimilia.
“Blind to what?” Aimilia asked, but both of them ignored her.
