Nikias still didn’t look like he fully believed her, but he sighed and said, “If I had known she would be there, I would have taken us elsewhere. We’ll sit in another box tomorrow.”
“Nikias—”
“I won’t leave you alone with her again.” He caught her gaze and held it. “Promise me, you won’t let her or my father corner you again.”
“I’ve had practice dealing with her, but if you want to spare me from having to deal with her at all…” Aimilia said, turning to him and giving him a wide grin. Why was he so close still? Worse, why was her heart racing? “You’re more than welcome to give me a different post and send me away from Areator.”
He answered her only with a pointed look.
Given what she suspected, obviously not happening, but it was worth a try.
Then his gaze softened and he whispered, “Please, promise me.”
Aimilia could do nothing but reply just as softly, side aching, “I promise.”
Nikias nodded and picked up his pace again. Aimilia’s heart couldn’t seem to slow as they kept heading down the stairs.
“Where are we going?” Aimilia asked, looking up at the many boxes they’d passed.
“You ran off yesterday and left your notes with me, but we do actually have to give our notes to Commander Livus.” Nikiasnodded toward the bag slung over her shoulder. “Plus, I want to have a look at the command track novices before tomorrow.”
“Oh. I suppose that makes sense,” Aimilia said as they reached the bottom floor. Nikias blinked at her, but she didn’t stop moving, simply pulling her arm free and heading for the tunnel that would take them to the barracks where all the novices were staying during the tournament and where Commander Livus would be.
Nikias caught up to her, a suspicious look entering his eyes. “You’re being less difficult than usual.”
His eyes started darting over her arms. He was looking too closely.
“Give it five minutes.”
That got her a soft snort as they stepped out into the sunlight of the courtyard.
She scanned over the crowd of children all milling about, discussing the events of the day until she spotted Commander Livus off to the side, accepting the notes from some of the other judges. Good, this would be quick?—
“That’s the woman who rejected Prince Nikias, right? The Mitis mage?”
Even the little brats were talking about her.
“It can’t be, what would they be doing together if she rejected him?”
Excellent question. Aimilia ignored the attention and the whispers as she moved to wait in line to give Commander Livus her and Nikias’ notes. When footsteps didn’t follow her, she looked over her shoulder to see Nikias had stopped and was looking at one of the mages they’d been judging earlier that day. A gangly boy with black hair, scuffing his sandal in the dirt, one of the few not gaping at Nikias and Aimilia.
What was Nikias doing?
He then walked right over to the boy. As he approached, the mage next to the boy hit him on the shoulder, and he looked up, his olive complexion paling and eyes widening seeing the crown prince kneel beside him. All the students immediately switched from whispering behind their hands about Aimilia to watching the two of them. She couldn’t hear what Nikias was saying, but the poor boy looked terrified.
She flipped through their notes. It was the boy they were considering for the healing track instead of the academic track.
She supposed there was nothing wrong with Nikias speaking to him now that the academic track’s section had been concluded, but what for?
She looked up again right as Nikias smiled and the boy breathed out a little easier.
Huh. She hadn’t seen Nikias smile that kindly in years. Every smile she’d seen over the last few years had ranged from dark and deranged at its worst, to cold and stony at its best. If it wasn’t brimming with bitterness, then Nikias usually smiled the way a marble statue did, devoid of life and light.
“I highly doubt my son would be miserable, especially once his wife provides him with the heirs Faustina didn’t.”
Heat flooded Aimilia’s cheeks now that she wasn’t being crushed by the queen’s grip. When Nikias married again, what was he going to be like with his children?
She pressed a hand to her side, the dull ache of the bruises beneath flared.
