Aimilia’s head snapped up. “You want me to beg?”
Cyprian nodded. “You’ve humiliated Prince Nikias time and time again. You should be relieved either of them is still willing to accept you after everything you’ve said and done.”
“It won’t matter how much I humiliate myself and beg. Queen Clelia will never forgive me.” Aimilia swallowed the next sentence. She didn’t dare pretend like Nikias wouldn’t take her ifshe offered herself. He would. He didn’t seem to care how badly she insulted him.
“You’re lucky I was able to smooth things over. You should be grateful. I’m cleaning up your mess, and all you have to do is marry him.”
“All I have to do? You act like it’s just a one-time act. I don’t just have to marry him; I’ll have to be his wife. I’ll be trapped for the rest of my life, chained to him, forever holding my breath and hoping that day isn’t the day he figures out I’m the one who’s responsible for his father’s death!”
Cyprian’s expression didn’t shift. She was going to find no sympathy from him. “Then you should have thought of that before you poisoned Nero.”
“You’d never understand why I did it. Since you figured it out, have you ever considered just how many lives I saved? If I hadn’t done that, we would be drowning in our own people’s blood because of Nero.” Aimilia lifted her chin, voice scraping the air. “Make no mistake, I would do it again.”
The crack of glass echoed in her head.
She couldn’t call it guilt, because she didn’t regret it. The churning in her stomach was just the simple, selfish terror she felt for her own life.
But she could not regret that her actions had saved thousands, and more importantly, the actions that meant that monster was no longer alive to lay hands on his sons ever again.
Nikias might be a manipulative, conniving monster, but the young boy he’d once been should never have had to learn how to hide his bruises.
Nikias might be the worst man she’d ever met, but it was his parents who had crafted him into the monster who had learnt how to study everyone around him so he could manipulate his way into their good graces. His method of self-preservation had become the mode of Aimilia’s destruction.
“Good to know.” Cyprian held up the necklace again. “If you care so much about Imperia, then this should be an easy choice. You’ll have the king’s ear for the rest of your life. You’ll have his children. What woman will have more influence than you? Much better than simply leading a noble house, if you ask me.”
“Don’t—” Aimilia shook her head, trying again to stand up. Her legs almost buckled, but she held onto the post, barely remaining upright this time. “It’s not—It will be the greatest agony of my life to be his wife. I’ll never be free again. Every second until I die I will be in absolute terror for my life. If you have ever thought of me fondly, please, don’t make me do this.”
“Aimilia, of course I think of you fondly…” Cyprian stepped around the desk, holding the necklace out to her. He put a hand on her shoulder. “But that didn’t stop me from doing what needed to be done before your stubbornness destroyed our entire house. Make no mistake, I will drag you down that aisle to him the way I dragged you through the dirt if that’s what it takes.”
Aimilia looked up at him, hot tears filling her vision. “I hate you.”
“Is that supposed to bother me?”
“It should scare you.” Aimilia snatched the necklace from his hand, nails piercing her skin as she crushed the leather strands to her palm. “You’ve made an enemy of your future queen.”
Cyprian grinned, letting go of the necklace and pulling his hand back. “Just remember, Your Majesty, I gave this to you and I can take it all away in an instant. A few little words and you’re dead. You ought to be careful making an enemy of me.”
“Don’t act like this is a gift. You just want a puppet.” Aimilia scoffed, shaking her head. “Now get out.”
Cyprian backed away. “I’ll be back in the morning to remove those cuffs before the funeral. I wouldn’t get any ideas about trying to leave with them on. Even if you could walk more than afew steps, you won’t make it out of the palace, much less the city. I’d spend the rest of the night getting ready. You’re going to put on the show of your life tomorrow.”
The door shut behind him, and Aimilia finally gave in to her screaming legs and dropped to the ground, using the post to slow her descent. She slammed into the side of the bed as she hit the cold floor.
She stared at the little etched rune of Nikias’ name, dangling from her hand.
“When I see your future, Aimilia, it is set. There is no changing it.”
It was inevitable. Aimilia couldn’t outrun it. She couldn’t change it.
Nikias’ manipulating her into falling in love with his façade had failed. So if he could not trick her into marrying him, he would force her.
Aimilia couldn’t hold back the keening sob a moment longer. She rocked forward, curling around Nikias’ name.
Why couldn’t it have been real?
She held onto the edge of the desk with one hand, pressing the necklace to her chest. If it had been real…
She would have married him.
