“Would you rather not know where to go?” Nikias asked.
“We have over an hour before the opening ceremony. I’m quite confident I can find my box and meet my judging partner within that timeframe.”
Fine. If she wanted to do this the hard way… Nikias stepped to the side and gestured for her to go in. Aimilia’s eyes widened, but she started for the entrance regardless. He turned his head to hide his small, sly grin.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see as she paused in the doorway. She looked down, brow furrowed, and then she whipped around. “You’re not serious, are you?”
Nikias turned back. “I’m a little disappointed it took you this long to figure it out.”
“You could have just told me from the beginning. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out how this is a punishment, but now I see,” Aimilia said, crossing her arms.
Nikias came to a stop in front of her, cornering her in the entryway. He leaned in slightly, lowering his head. “I’m not punishing you.”
She scoffed. “Forcing me to be stuck with you for a week to judge the brats is a punishment.”
These barbs should have long since lost any effect on him, but it seemed they only grew more pointed over time.
“I’m truly sorry you feel that way.”
Even just the way she rolled her eyes, disregarding his sincerity, dug under his skin. “You still could have told me.”
“It’s more interesting this way.” He held his arm out. The only direction to go was up. “Now, shall we go to our box?”
She turned her nose up at it and spun on her heel, heading into the stadium interior. One of the Runai guards tried and failed to hide a snicker, and Nikias just held his own head higher.
Let them laugh at him for now. He’d gladly be their source of amusement and let himself be humiliated again and again if that’s what it took to win.
They wouldn’t be laughing when his name was finally wrapped around her wrist.
Especially not the Desero demon.
He followed her down the dimly lit hallway, calling out after her, “You still don’t know what box we’re in!”
She looked over her shoulder. “There are only so many of them in the first place. Also, nowhere does it say the judges scoring the same students have to sit together and discuss it.”
He hurried after her, cloak whipping through the air as he called out, “We have to agree on the placements! I can hardly agree with you if I’m three boxes away.”
“You won’t agree with me whether you’re three inches away or three thousand,” Aimilia huffed, but she had come to a stop at the bottom of the stairs.
“You could give me a little more credit. Working with me won’t kill you. Come on,” Nikias said as he took the lead now.
Aimilia followed after him, muttering, “Oh, it just might.”
When he looked back at her for an explanation, she just asked, “Will Gavril and Marcella be joining us? I know they’re preparing to leave right after the exams, but surely they can watch with us.”
“I have everything in place for their departure, but they will not be watching with us. They will be wrangling the brats. Pax Marcella seems to have something of a gift for them, and Gavril isn’t half bad either.”
All true.
But he could still feel Aimilia’s hazel eyes boring into his back, blaming him.
When they continued to go up, her glare intensified and he refused to look back. They passed landing after landing that led to box after box.
“Nikias.”
She caught him. He paused and looked over his shoulder. She held onto the railing with one hand, peplos in the other, lifting the hem just enough to climb. “We better not be going where it looks like we’re going.”
“Don’t worry, my parents aren’t coming today. It will be just us.”
