Nikias would be loved if it was the last thing he did.
Chapter 30
AIMILIA
Aimilia wasn’t entirely sure what had propelled her to go out there in the courtyard that night. She certainly hadn’t anticipated Nikias ending up in her arms or for her to be comforting him.
Worse, she certainly hadn’t expected for it to feel so…
Aimilia didn’t know how to describe it.
It should have felt strange and wrong. There should have been at least something off about it. Unfortunately, there wasn’t.
It had been almost natural.
It had felt right.
And that was the most concerning thing about the whole scene.
When Nikias had finally pulled away, his red-rimmed eyes gave away the tears he had been trying and failing to hide from her. All he had said was a simple “thank you” and he’d helped her to her feet, murmuring something about both of them getting some rest, because there was still a long way to go. She assumed he’d been talking about their work with the clan mages.
She hoped that had been what he’d been talking about.
Maybe it hadn’t been the smartest move to acknowledge that Nikias’ act of defiance had been his dedication to marrying her, but it was the truth. Aimilia still didn’t know what to make of it. Nikias had offered no explanation as to why he had determined he had to marry her or no one.
What did it mean?
Why?
Why would Nikias want to marry her so much he would take a beating for it?
Surely his wounded pride couldn’t be that strong. Then again, it was Nikias…
But Aimilia was now starting to wonder if she really even knew Nikias at all.
The next day Marcella and Gavril weren’t at breakfast with them. She had no idea where they were, and she cursed them for leaving her alone with Nikias—Not that they knew anything about what happened the night before to know there’d even been something to save her from. A lingering awkwardness. Unfortunately, Nikias hadn’t said a word either.
Although, he was now looking her in the eyes again. She was cautiously optimistic—maybe now that things were settled between them, they could go back to their old dynamic, albeit this time with less hatred and dark animosity on either side and more friendly jabs.
A novel thought. She and Nikias being friends.
Breakfast was quiet, but Nikias did make an effort to carry on a conversation. There was really nothing consequential about it, only him asking her a few questions about the estate and what she’d seen when Marcella had shown her around.
And then soon enough, they were off to the war room.
Aimilia was torn between hoping Gavril and Marcella would be there and hoping their absence at breakfast also meant that Hypatia was occupying them again for the day.
This whole ordeal would go so more smoothly if it was only Nikias and Konstantin.
When they reached the war room and Nikias let Aimilia go in first with a simple gesture of his hands, she was too wrapped up in her thoughts about where Marcella and Gavril were to think anything of it. When his other hand brushed the small of her back as she passed by him, she nearly jumped out of her skin, startling forward and whipping her head around to see a very slight smirk on his face.
Oh, no.
She surely hoped that didn’t mean what she feared it meant.
Nikias just said, “Pardon. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
And then he reached for the doorknob, as if that had been where he’d been going the whole time to pull the door shut behind him.
