Chapter 4 #2
“You think a man like Nikias would be moved to marry a sensible choice? Am I the only one left with a functioning mind? Has everyone already forgotten about Faustina?”
Apparently so.
Mother said, “We all recall the talk about Nikias’ insistence he would never remarry, so I can’t blame you for having your doubts early on about what exactly his intentions were.”
They were going to regret these words when she was dragged out of the courtyard in limiter cuffs.
Aimilia shook her head. They hadn’t seen Nikias with Faustina the way she had.
Anyone who had would laugh at the idea Nikias could ever think of marrying her after Faustina.
How many times had she stood in this very courtyard and watched Nikias with Faustina, his hand somewhere on her arm or waist as he leaned over and murmured in her ear, calling her amata?
Beloved.
Nikias and Faustina’s love was something that came only once in a lifetime.
What could hold a candle to that?
Aimilia had tried and failed. Gavril had found that once in a lifetime love with Marcella instead.
Aimilia spotted Gavril and Marcella slipping in through the side of the peristyle like she had.
She didn’t know how much time she had left.
She certainly wasn’t going to spend any of it wallowing in self-pity.
Aimilia pulled herself away from her mother and uncle and hurried over to Gavril and Marcella, her mother rolling her eyes the second she spotted who Aimilia was heading toward. Aimilia practically crashed into them, grabbing Gavril by the arm and pulling him and Marcella into a shadowy corner.
“You know a hello is an appropriate greeting?” Gavril asked as Aimilia let go, wrapping her arms around her stomach.
“Save the wit. Nikias knows.” Aimilia looked back over her shoulder as music started up and several Runai began dancing.
Gavril and Marcella both lost all their color. Marcella grabbed Aimilia’s arm and leaned it. “He told you such?”
“Not just him. Your mother too. When I went to confront him today about not giving me a post and taking me off the schedule, I heard them talking about it. She told him she wants justice for his father—she knows there was foul play and it’s not a normal illness.
He agreed to take care of it tonight. When I spoke to him, he said they might as well get used to me being gone, meaning I’m not going to be around next week to do a patrol.
And he invited my mother here. He’s arresting me tonight, I’m certain of it. ”
“But did he tell you outright he knew?” Gavril kept his voice desperately low as the three of them huddled together.
“Directly? No, who would? That’s not just something you say.” Aimilia also kept her voice as soft as possible.
“Then how can you be sure that he knows?” Gavril asked. “Did my mother say your name?”
“She said, ‘who else has the means and motive?’ Obviously I am the only one here who has the means and motive. I told you—how else do you explain his actions?”
At that, Marcella shot Gavril a pointed look. He turned to his wife and said, “No. No. It’s not possible. He would have told me. He would have asked me if he stood a chance.”
What were they talking about?
“You are as blind as she is,” Marcella said, nodding toward Aimilia.
“Blind to what?” Aimilia asked, but both of them ignored her.
“I am not,” Gavril huffed. “I know Nikias. He didn’t act like this last time. I know he promised he would, but Aimilia is the last person he would ever marry.”
Marcella believed the rumors? The little traitor.
Wait…
“Nikias promised he would get remarried? To whom? When?”
Gavril’s brow pinched. “Our father, it was in the chaos after Hypatia tortured him.” He shot his wife a look.
“But that doesn’t mean Aimilia! I’m sure he’s doing something ridiculously practical, like making some kind of list of appropriate candidates and narrowing it down to whichever one would make the best queen.
Plus, he’d put it off as long as possible.
Aimilia wouldn’t even make the list.” Gavril turned back to Aimilia. “No offense.”
“I’d be offended to be on the list!” Aimilia shook her head, reaching up and bracing her hand against her forehead. “Hold on—”
“Look, I will settle this, right now.” Gavril straightened up, looking over at Nikias who was pulling away from Queen Clelia. “If Nikias knows, or if he actually is about to propose—to—to Aimilia of all women—I will find out. Stay here and don’t panic.”
Aimilia grabbed at his arm. “Wait, just until he’s a little farther away from your mother.”
She wasn’t going to risk Gavril being hurt again, especially for her sake.
She let go when Nikias was halfway across the courtyard from Queen Clelia. His eyes were scanning over the crowd, and Aimilia shifted back, but it was too late.
His gaze landed on the three of them, and he nodded in their direction, changing course to approach them. Now Aimilia pushed Gavril into Nikias’ path. Gavril quickly intercepted him as Aimilia grabbed Marcella and started pulling her with her to escape Nikias’ gaze.
“What could ever make you think—even if Nikias is planning to remarry—he would ever propose to me?” Aimilia hissed, pulling Marcella close. “You know better than to believe those rumors, all of which spawned because we were working together with you and Gavril. He hates me. He always has!”
Marcella raised an eyebrow, her curls tickling Aimilia’s neck. “Does he?”
“Commander Aimilia!”
She dropped Marcella’s arm and turned to see Lieutenant Turpis approaching. Marcella fell silent, taking a step back. Aimilia said, “Lieutenant, good evening.”
“In order to ensure there are no hard feelings about the Mitis post, could I have this dance?” Turpis held his hand out.
Good. Someone other than Gavril who didn’t believe the ridiculous rumors.
It didn’t hurt that he wasn’t half-bad to look at. She’d flattened him in their graduation tournament, but if anything, it seemed like that might have been what caught his attention.
Aimilia took his hand and said, “I’d be delighted to.”
She ignored Marcella’s incredulous look and let Turpis lead her to where the other mages were spinning and moving to the rhythm of the music filling the courtyard.
A few whispers went through the Runai around them as they started following the steps of the fast-paced song with the other dancers.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gavril and Nikias deep in their hushed conversation, not having noticed her and Turpis.
The dance was so quick, they only touched briefly as they moved around each other in a whirlwind. Turpis caught her hand and lifted it up for her to spin under. “You’re the subject of every conversation here tonight.”
“I’d rather not be,” Aimilia replied, letting go and lifting her skirts just enough to kick her leg in unison with the other girls before Turpis had her waist in his hands for the next step.
“You mean our esteemed prince doesn’t stand a chance?” Turpis let out a little laugh, hand lingering on her waist a second longer than the dance called for. “Good to know.”
“It’s not—”
The music stopped and a shadow fell over them while the sound of someone clearing their throat cut her off. She whipped around right as Nikias came to a stop, nearly crashing into him.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Marcella holding onto Gavril, who was shaking his head, face hidden by his palm. What did that mean? How had their conversation gone?
Was she getting arrested or—
Nikias pulled out two necklaces, one with her name etched into the metal, another with his.
“Commander Aimilia, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
He was proposing.
Every eye in the courtyard was on them. Her heart had taken off like a shot as she stared at the engagement necklaces in his palm. Slowly, she looked up at his face. This couldn’t be real.
She almost wished he was arresting her.
At least that would be easier to handle than what was about to happen next.
She looked around, skimming over the eyes of everyone in the crowd, all watching in silence with bated breath. Her mother’s hands were clasped in front of her mouth. Uncle Cyprian was clenching his jaw. She could hear them both in her head, screaming at her to accept.
Marcella was holding onto Gavril, riveted, while Gavril peered from behind his fingers, like he could not bear to watch but could not bear to look away even more.
Queen Clelia simply raised an eyebrow at her as the silence stretched on.
Then she looked up at the man who’d just asked her to marry him. His brow furrowed, and his cold, impassive expression shifted. He lowered his hand and stepped closer. She shook her head ever so slightly and stepped back.
Nikias’ eyes widened, but she was already speaking.
“No.”
The whole courtyard was silent, her voice was a rough whisper that tore through the air. Nikias was completely still. Everything was so still. She lifted her chin, holding Nikias’ gaze as she said, “I will not.”
“No? You—Aimilia—” Nikias stepped back, hand closing over the necklaces as the crowd began to erupt into whispers.
Aimilia turned on her heel. She couldn’t—
Her family’s expressions were of pure horror. Marcella had her hand pressed to her mouth. Queen Clelia’s fury was palpable.
The walls were closing in. There were too many eyes.
“Wait—”
A hand brushed her wrist, and she ripped her arm back from Nikias.
She ran.