“Then start thinking. By now, you should be over your infatuation with my second-born and looking at your future practically. You were a fool to refuse Nikias. What use do any of us have for the hearts of our spouses? Better they come with crowns and power. That is where security lies. You know that.”
Aimilia let out a soft gasp when the queen’s hand sank into her side. No one in the crowd would be able to see it, but Aimilia could feel her nails digging into her skin, mitigated only by the fabric of her peplos. Enough force to bruise, but at least she wasn’t able to scratch.
Clelia leaned in and hissed, “Do you think I’m so foolish as to believe such a weak, frail excuse as that? No… You’re not as good of a liar as you like to think you are. You think you’re better than Nikias. That’s why you led him on and refused him. You resent him because he’s not my second-born. That’s why you humiliated him. Did you really think you’d be able to get away with it?”
“Your Majesty, I promise you, that’s not it at all,” Aimilia breathed out, ignoring the pain starting to bloom up her back. Not once had either the king or queen lifted a hand against her. She’d never imagined they would. No matter how much she knew about their treatment of Gavril, it was inconceivable.
She’d always believed she was untouchable. Why?
Aimilia took in a sharp breath.
Why had she believed that?
“I swear, I was simply trying to make the choice that would cause the least amount of pain for both of us in the long run.” Every instinct in her was screaming at her to pull away as the pain kept deepening, but she had nowhere to run.
“You miscalculated. Don’t think you’ve gotten away with anything,” Clelia said, pulling her hand away. “Your actions will have consequences.”
Chapter 15
AIMILIA
Aimilia loosened her grip on the railing as the sharp pain on her side began to shift into a sore ache now that the queen was no longer trying to crush her.
“Oh, son, thank you,” Clelia said, drawing Aimilia’s gaze back away from the crowd.
Nikias was slightly out of breath as he came back into the room, a servant coming in behind him a few seconds later, carrying a tray with a pitcher and several glasses, also out of breath.
“Aimilia?” He didn’t even spare his mother a glance or a response.
“We better sit down. They’ll be starting back any second and we’ve got three mages to watch in this next round.” Aimilia took her seat again, ignoring the slight flare of pain through her side when she brushed it against the chair.
What would it change if Nikias knew? He’d never been able to stop his parents from laying their hands on Gavril, and that was his brother. Aimilia would just have to be more careful in the future not to be cornered now that she wasn’t off limits.
The good news was the queen hadn’t pushed her over the railing.
Aimilia would take the win.
Nikias’ leg brushed hers and he leaned in, dropping his voice to a low murmur in her ear. “What did she do?”
“Nothing,” Aimilia replied, bowing her head and sorting through her notes. “She just wanted to say her piece. Reprimand me for rejecting her favorite son.”
The warm, calloused hand landing on her knee stilled her movement. For having such a large heavy hand, Nikias was surprisingly gentle. Nikias’ hair was falling in his face as he shifted to look like he was reading off her notes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I told you to go.” Aimilia shifted, holding the paper so he had a better view.
He looked up, staring directly into her eyes, lips parting, but then the next round was starting and their attention went to the novices below.
The academic hopefuls really weren’t all that impressive even though they should have been. Their demonstrations should have been the best of the best and showcased complex runes, but it seemed this year the academics would be the mostly mediocre, no one who was truly a savant in theory or an innovator in creation of new runes. Unfortunate.
Nikias only moved his hand back when he was forced to in order to take his notes.
Aimilia didn’t like how she somehow felt vulnerable without it. It wasn’t like Nikias could or would protect her.
The second the last round finished, Nikias grabbed Aimilia by the arm and pulled her out of the box, throwing something over his shoulder about getting their notes to the other judges. She scrambled to grab the bag and shove their notes into it as they went.
This time she let him loop her arm through his as he ushered her down the stairs. Nikias leaned in as they went down the tight stairway side by side. His breath brushed her cheek as he murmured. “Second chance, what did she do?”
Aimilia’s heart stuttered and she turned her sharp breath into a controlled sigh. “Like I said, she just wanted to make sure she got a word in. She wanted to know why I refused your proposal. I handled it.”
