Aimilia tilted her head to the side to let the healer look over the scar of the bite wound on her shoulder, but her eyes never left the note.
Nikias suffered from delusions of the grandest kind.
And yet… still his voice was in her head.
“When I remarry, it will be to you, and when you marry me, it will be because you want to.”
Once the healer was gone and Aimilia was exhausted all over again, but less achy, she got dressed and devoured the rest of the food brought to her.
When she looked in the mirror, she still looked worse for wear, pale with dark circles creeping in and a few faint, inconsequential scratches left that would be gone in the morning. She picked up a comb and started making something presentable of her hair. She didn’t have long. With the amount of time it would take her to get dressed, then properly prepare the tea, if she wanted to be on time she couldn’t waste a second.
Thankfully, or maybe unfortunately, not long after she stood in front of the door to the king and queen’s suite with a tray holding the teapot and cups in her hand as she knocked with the other.
“Come in, Commander,” Clelia’s voice answered.
Aimilia turned the knob and used the tray to push it open, pausing in the doorway to give a small but appropriate bow without dislodging the tray. “Your Majesties.”
“Come, have a seat. I have so missed this wonderful little drink, and it’s just the thing we all need after yesterday,” Clelia said. Aimilia looked up, taking in the room as Clelia directed her to come and set the tray down at the low table where King Nero was seated, lounging with several pillows around him, so it was functionally no different than being in bed.
Aimilia took the seat farthest from him as Clelia sat in the chair beside him. Aimilia immediately began pouring the tea. King Nero cleared his throat, and Aimilia’s hands shook right as she pulled the teapot back, keeping it from spilling.
They didn’t know. They didn’t suspect.
Right?
Or was Queen Clelia doing her own investigating now?
“I have been told it is you we have to thank for all the novices’ survival yesterday. You saved the next generation of commanders,” King Nero said, dark eyes focused wholly on her as she steadied her hands and moved to pour the next cup.
She kept her gaze on the cup. “It was my honor to be able to serve Imperia in a time of crisis.”
“As you did when my son was forced to negotiate with the filth.”
Aimilia took a deep breath, pulling the spout up before the hot liquid spilled over. “I was honored His Highness selected me to be there for the negotiations. I never expected he would have selected me, given my youth.”
“It was a curious decision to be sure,” Nero said. His voice was low and rumbling, but weak.
Aimilia started pouring the third cup. What was this about? Why were they bringing up the negotiations? Did they actually want to thank her? What information did they want from her?
Then the door flew open, and Aimilia spilled some of the tea as she startled to see Nikias striding into the room, a dark look in his eyes. She fumbled with a soft towel to wipe it up as Clelia shot out of her seat. “Nikias, son, I thought you were busy dealing with the work on the stadium?”
His gaze landed on Aimilia as she finished cleaning up the mess. “Not too busy for family. Or Aimilia’s tea, when she can be convinced to make it.”
Nikias crossed the room quickly, moving a chair so he could sit right beside Aimilia.
The queen and king had wanted something with her outside Nikias’ presence and now she’d have no idea what it was.
But on the other hand, Nikias was here. So she was a little safer than she’d been a moment before. She pushed the cup she’d just poured into in front of him.
He gave a small, strained smile and a nod as he took it, the long, deliberate look he gave her saying everything he couldn’t in front of them. He was at least committed to his promise not to let her alone with them. And she was going to get an earful for not keeping her promise.
She stayed silent as Nikias engaged his parents in a cold, short report of everything going on with the stadium now. She picked up her cup, moving to sit back when Nikias’ free hand came to rest on her knee, a small gesture many might miss, but no one in the room did. Aimilia kept a tight grip on her cup as she sipped it, cursing Nikias as the warmth of his palm and his fingers softly curling over her peplos seeped into her skin.
No one said anything.
Aimilia certainly couldn’t push him off and make a fool of him in front of his parents. Well, shecould, but it wouldn’t help her.
She’d stopped paying attention wholly to the conversation, barely registering who was speaking as she was completely distracted by the weight on her knee, pinning her down even though she was already frozen. What was he implying to them? What did he want them to think?
