Chapter 4
AIMILIA
This time tomorrow, Aimilia was going to be dead.
Unless, of course, Gavril and Marcella pulled off a miracle again. Then in that case, she might be lucky enough to be banished and sent into exile for her treason.
Which in that case, Gavril and Marcella might just join her and they could all go live with the clan mages. They would at least have Marcella’s adopted brother to take them in. Even if that also meant having to deal with his insane wife, Aimilia could live with that over being dead.
It meant not becoming the Head of House Mitis, which had been the only thing she’d wanted since finally accepting she would never be a princess by marriage.
Which, while unfortunate, again, life even in exile was preferrable.
The only reason she was walking free was the incredible stroke of luck she’d had in neither Nikias nor Queen Clelia realizing she’d overheard their conversation. Even afterwards Nikias had pulled her into his study and given her a veiled warning.
She wasn’t getting a post. She wasn’t on the patrol schedule. They needed to start getting used to not having her around. Nikias, at least, wasn’t going to drag this out any longer.
So if he was going to arrest her at his mother’s banquet, she was going to go with grace and style at least.
She’d considered running. She’d made it back to her room and started packing until she stopped herself. There would be no use. She’d never make it out of the city.
If they’d already figured her out, then all she really had was the illusion of freedom. They’d stop her at the gates just as easily as they would arrest her in the courtyard at the banquet.
If Queen Clelia wanted Aimilia to be made an example of, she would be.
Gavril would be furious. It was the only comfort Aimilia had as she braided her hair, preparing for her last night alive and free. Nikias would lose what little ground he’d gained in repairing his relationship with Gavril.
Good.
Aimilia finished pinning her last braid up and moved to her cosmetics. Although, she knew Nikias’ hands were tied if he wasn’t the one to have figured her out. Or even if he wasn’t the only one who had known.
It was entirely possible the king, in one of his more lucid moments, gave enough information to expose her, or the queen had connected the dots.
“What other woman had the means and motive?”
Nikias would have no choice but to arrest her, no matter the fact that it would mean he would lose Gavril again.
She hadn’t quite made sense of all of it. There were a few pieces that still didn’t fit.
But she accepted her fate. It was honestly a bit of a relief that she would no longer have to live with the guilt suffocating her and her secret hounding her every step.
Aimilia finished readying herself. If she was going to be made a spectacle of, she was going to dress the part.
Her cloak was clasped over one shoulder and arranged to show off her and her peplos in a tasteful manner.
The peplos was a fine white, almost shimmering in the light, belted at the waist, giving her a bit of figure, falling to the ground with a small part where one could see her calf and the gold ties of her sandals lacing up her leg.
It was her favorite piece, and if it was her last chance to wear it…
With one last deep breath, she gave herself an approving nod before turning on her heel and sweeping out of the room to go meet her fate.
She slipped into the courtyard as the sun was setting and the runes began to light up the air.
Most of the court had already arrived, mingling around the tables that were spilling over with food.
Aimilia supposed she should partake of her last meal, but her stomach was turning so much she couldn’t even think of it.
Instead, she scanned over the crowd. Queen Clelia stood by one of the larger tables, arm wrapped through Nikias’ as they spoke with a few Runai from House Salum.
Thankfully, they hadn’t spotted her entrance.
Mostly because, despite dressing to impress, she came in through the side of the peristyle, hoping she’d at least get a few minutes with Gavril and Marcella to warn them about what would occur.
They wouldn’t believe her, but she still wanted what little time she had left to be with them.
It wouldn’t stop it, but hopefully being armed beforehand would help keep them out of trouble themselves.
Only one of them needed to go down for this crime.
She didn’t see them, and she couldn’t blame them for wanting to arrive late and spend as little time in the palace as possible. The fact that they were coming at all was more than enough.
She did see Commander Cyprian, whom she called her uncle, but they weren’t that closely related.
They were more distant cousins several times removed, but he’d always acted as her uncle and was favored by her grandfather.
Being another mage favored by her grandfather, it had thrown the two of them into each other’s paths, especially after Aimilia’s father had died.
His post was in Areator, so seeing him was normal.
What she didn’t expect to see was her mother standing with him.
What was her mother doing in Areator?
Her mother hadn’t left the Mitis estate in years.
Not even to see Aimilia in her graduation tournament.
Not since Aimilia’s father had died.
Only an order by the king, or his regent, would be able to move her.
Aimilia immediately looked back over at Nikias, still enmeshed in the conversation his mother was having with House Salum.
Had he done this? Was he trying to give her at least the chance to say her goodbyes before meeting her fate or had he summoned her to make this even more painful and humiliating?
Aimilia could never tell with him. He was a masterful manipulator. At least, Aimilia had fallen for it before, and now she could never tell what was real with him.
Aimilia cut through the crowd, still staying on the edge and in the shadows as much as possible. Thankfully, over the last few months Aimilia had made an art out of avoiding Nikias. She knew how to best avoid his notice as much as possible.
She made it over to her mother and Cyprian, thankfully on the opposite side of the courtyard as Nikias.
“Oh, Aimilia, there you are!” Mother said, stepping back as Aimilia approached. She put a hand on Aimilia’s shoulder, and Aimilia returned the fond gesture by reaching up and wrapping her hand around her wrist. The scars of her religo lines were rough beneath Aimilia’s fingers.
“Mother, I didn’t expect you here tonight,” Aimilia said, keeping her voice low and ensuring she stood so her mother and uncle shielded her from being seen from the other side of the courtyard. “You didn’t reply to my last letter. Grandfather, is he—”
“I wanted to surprise you!” Mother beamed, squeezing Aimilia’s shoulder. Her voice had more life in it than Aimilia had heard in years. Her strawberry-blonde hair shone with pearl pins in the light. “I received a very compelling invitation from Prince Nikias himself. How could I refuse?”
Oh no. She thought Nikias was going to propose. Wait… there was no earthly way Nikias hadn’t heard the rumors flying about him allegedly proposing to Aimilia. He also knew they would have reached her well before reaching him.
In order to get an invitation to Aimilia’s mother in time for her to attend, Nikias would have had to send it at least a month ago. He’d had her figured out for that long and had been letting the rumors fly to cover up his actions? Drawing this out just to make an example of her?
Right. Just like Queen Clelia had demanded.
She snuck a glare at him through the gap between her mother and uncle. Although she wasn’t as sneaky as she thought, since the second she did, she caught Nikias’ eye. He smirked at her, and she ripped her gaze away.
This had all just been a game to him, hadn’t it?
And he’d won. Again.
“Mother, I assure you, whatever you think that invitation meant, it did not.”
Cyprian lowered his drink and narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about? Aimilia, everyone with eyes knows what’s going to happen tonight. I’m sure Prince Nikias understands it’s not a surprise anymore.”
Aimilia opened her mouth, but her mother was already speaking.
“Oh, I can’t believe it. I didn’t know what to think when I heard the rumors, given how you’ve always spoken about him and how you’ve always preferred Prince Gavril.
But I suppose with that she-wolf stealing him, that brought you and Prince Nikias together—”
“Mother! Don’t speak about Marcella like that,” Aimilia snapped, pulling her shoulder out of her mother’s grip. “She is my friend. Not to mention, nothing of the sort happened with me and Nikias.”
Cyprian snorted. “There’s no point in covering it up anymore.
You and Nikias were seen constantly in each other’s presence over the last year.
The scandal of the two of you sneaking around at all hours has subsided and will eventually be forgotten once Prince Nikias makes an honest woman of you like he should have the second the two of you were whispered about months ago. ”
Aimilia was certain her cheeks were turning a vivid red despite her best efforts to mitigate it with her cosmetics.
“We weren’t sneaking around, especially not alone.
The library is hardly a clandestine rendezvous spot for lovers, especially not when Gavril and Marcella were there with us, which was the only reason the two of us are ever in each other’s presence.
Despite what everyone running their mouths think, we were never having any kind of secret tryst. The idea is laughable. ”
Mother did in fact laugh, but not at the right thing. “You don’t need to play coy. I’m sure it was nerve-wracking when it all started.”
Cyprian chimed in, “It’s high-time His Highness remarries, and you are the woman he’s closest to and has known for years. You’re the sensible choice.”