She watched Nikias as well. An illusion. No. Hypatia had been right at the end. It wasn’t a simple magical illusion. It was a manipulation.
Aimilia knew it certainly wouldn’t be her doing it. Of the two people connected to this ring, there was only one that had proven to be a masterful manipulator.
Aimilia didn’t learn, did she?
As she stared at Nikias, hadn’t she already seen all of this before?
This wasn’t new, was it?
No. Aimilia shook her head and turned back to her horse. Hypatia hadn’t said anything specific. She just said there was some kind of manipulation, not what it was or who it was directed at. But… There was a trap. Aimilia was going to be stuck in a no-win scenario.
And hadn’t she done this all before?
No.
She wasn’t going to let Hypatia’s vague premonitions get into her head. For all she knew, even if she believed in Hypatia’s Sight, that didn’t mean what she saw was relevant toward Aimilia right now. For all she knew, these things were fifty years in the future.
Nikias wasn’t the same man that had manipulated her before. He’d changed.
Aimilia stared at him as Konstantin walked away. Nikias directed a dark look toward Hypatia.
He’d changed, right?
Chapter 45
AIMILIA
Aimilia was resolved to bury Hypatia’s premonitions. She wouldn’t let her mind run wild with what they could possibly mean. They weren’t worth worrying about.
She was thankful Nikias didn’t question her on her quietness, probably assuming it was the grief rushing back to the surface now that she had little else to distract her. That was part of it, but she couldn’t stop herself from looking at Nikias and twisting the ring on her finger.
A façade.
No.
After another week and a half of travel, they finally crested the ridge to see the Mitis Estate in the distance and Aimilia’s heart twisted. She should have come back sooner. She should have fought to return at least briefly after her graduation. All those months she’d stayed in Areator, waiting and hoping that Gavril would finally propose, what a waste. How foolish she’d been. She’d been absolutely pathetic, sitting there and pining for a man who would never marry her instead of doing something useful with herself. It had cost her the chance to see her grandfather before he went.
“Aimilia?” Nikias whispered on his own horse beside her, the guards waiting for them to press on.
“I’m fine.” She took a deep breath, knuckles whitening against the reins. “Just bracing myself.”
Nikias nudged his horse even closer, leaning down and whispering, “You don’t have to be fine.”
Aimilia’s heart jolted in her chest. He was so close. She wanted him even closer. She wanted to abandon her horse and throw herself into his arms. She didn’t even want to look at the estate. She just wanted to turn tail and leave. If she didn’t go to the estate, she could delude herself into believing her grandfather was alive for a little longer. If she didn’t go to the funeral, she could still pretend.
Would Nikias enable her, if she asked?
She opened her mouth despite the tightening in her throat.
“I would do anything you ask of me.”
He would.
Aimilia turned her horse and continued down the road, looking over her shoulder at him. “I know I don’t have to be fine, but I am. So come on, we need to get our mourning blacks.”
She could feel Nikias’ gaze on her the rest of the ride to the estate gates, but she ignored it and spent the time preparing herself for the chaos she was about to walk into.
Her mother.
