Chapter 53
NIKIAS
Nikias didn’t know what he’d done wrong now. His jealousy had reared its head, but that hadn’t been the start of Aimilia avoiding him.
The next day, Nikias tried to visit Aimilia again, but she didn’t open the door for him even though he knew she was in there from the sound of her breathing.
When Nikias left, he spotted Cyprian coming down the hall, but the second Cyprian saw Nikias, he instead turned on his heel and left without another word.
Eventually Nikias gave up his vigil, standing there and hoping she would open the door.
Nikias had barely seen her before the first event either.
But she’d taken the necklace.
On the other hand, she hadn’t let him kiss her. Nikias was completely lost. All he knew was the sight of Turpis, kneeling in front of Aimilia, his hands on her had filled him with a hot boiling in his blood that he was entire all too familiar with.
But if Aimilia needed space so she could get through this tournament to prove what she needed to prove, Nikias had no choice but to give her that and hope at the end of it, she saw that she’d never had to prove anything to him.
This could still end with her choosing to put his name on her neck.
He just needed to be careful and not let her slip entirely out of his grasp.
Nikias instead spent the day mostly dodging his mother and ensuring the setup of the next trial. Thankfully, nothing quite as savage as a bunch of starved three-headed dogs. Whose idea had that been in the first place? Nikias should have them fired.
He spent so long poring over the details, he ensured that his mother had left the dining hall by the time he arrived. Since he was abysmally late, Nikias slipped in through one of the servants’ doors. After the last few days, he wasn’t really in the mood to pretend to be polite.
The image of Aimilia dead in his arms still haunted his nightmares. Faustina’s ghost had crawled out of her grave at the sight of Eleni, far too similar to each other, and now Nikias couldn’t shake her either.
The dining hall was full of several long tables filling the room, with several open spots for those who weren’t in attendance or had already left for the evening. Nikias had suspected Aimilia wouldn’t appear and would instead take her meal in her room. She seemed to have no interest in seeing him.
Was it just so she could focus? Was Nikias a distraction?
He didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. Nikias spotted an empty seat near Cyprian and then farther down the table, Lieutenant Turpis. Nikias’ immediately narrowed his eyes.
Turpis was surrounded by younger mages, a mixture of those from Mitis as well as those who had come just to watch.
Nikias could see Turpis’ mouth moving and eliciting laughs from those around him.
Nikias quietly crossed the room and took the seat by Cyprian, ensuring that Turpis didn’t notice his presence as the older man’s form obscured Nikias.
Cyprian raised an eyebrow when Nikias sat down and he opened his mouth, but Nikias shook his head. He inclined his head toward Turpis, and Cyprian seemed to get the message. He didn’t say a word and went back to eating.
Nikias ignored the food on the table that had been his original mission and instead focused entirely on straining his ears so he could hear what Turpis was saying.
He wouldn’t let Aimilia be put at risk by anyone.
Whatever Turpis wanted—and it seemed relatively obvious to Nikias—he wouldn’t let him have it.
“—feel about your odds now?” one of the other young men asked.
“Are you kidding? After that display in the first round, I’m quite certain my odds have more than doubled,” Turpis said.
Odds? Nikias knew it was common amongst the Runai to bet on these things, but had Turpis seriously bet money on this?
Of course, he had. It was a vulgar and tasteless hobby. It suited him well.
“Wait, did you bet on just one of them? I put money on two of them; I figured that would at least give me a better chance. Who did you pick?” one of the girls asked.
“Oh, I see your confusion. In a manner of speaking, he put it all on just one,” the first man said.
One of the men drained his glass of wine and laughed. Then he leaned over to the girl, causing her to blush. “He’s not talking about money, darling.”
The men laughed while the girl pulled back and glared at the first man. “Don’t make me feel foolish. Just tell me.”
Turpis shook his head, “My bet isn’t necessarily one I made with coins, but I am betting everything on my target.”
Nikias’ nails dug into his palms. There was no doubt in his mind about who Turpis was referring to. It had been evident even back in Areator.
The first man said, “He’s talking about Commander Aimilia. They were in the same class together.”
A suspicious note crept into the girl’s voice. “If you’re not betting money on Commander Aimilia, what exactly are you betting? I wouldn’t have even known the two of you had been in the same class.”
Turpis scowled at that. “When Commander Aimilia wins, my payout is going to be in the form of a particularly powerful position. It’s going to be worth far more than just a few coins.”
The girl leaned forward, lowering her voice, and Nikias struggled to catch all of it.
“Wait, are you saying if she wins, she’ll marry you?”
Turpis raised an eyebrow. “You make it sound like that’s shocking.”
The girl glanced around, and the Nikias shifted so Cyprian’s figure hid his face completely.
She said, “Of course, it’s surprising. Everyone saw how she and Prince Nikias arrived together.
Not to mention how they were at the entrance exams together, even after she rejected him.
And what my brother—he was one of the guards—told me about what happened when they traveled?
Well, let’s just say it confirms every rumor I’ve heard about just how close they are.
Everyone knows Prince Nikias is going to get what he wants, even if Commander Aimilia wins. ”
Turpis laughed. “If Prince Nikias could get what he wants, Commander Aimilia wouldn’t be competing at all. Do you really think if they’d gotten as close as you’re implying she’d refuse him? His name isn’t on her neck or her wrist.”
The men laughed, and Nikias stared at his empty plate. He’d known that the last few months everyone had been talking about him and Aimilia; it was another thing to hear it.
A familiar burn settled over his skin, and Nikias wouldn’t have been able to look up even if he wanted to.
“His Highness doesn’t stand a chance. She rejected him in front of the entire court.
If she was his she-wolf, that would have been insanity.
And even after rejecting him so publicly, he’s still been chasing after her like a dog.
It’s pathetic. I can’t believe he’s supposed to be the next king, carrying on the way he is. ”
Cyprian tensed next to him, and Nikias could tell Cyprian was almost as offended as Nikias was.
“Commander Aimilia clearly doesn’t want him, and who would?”
Blood thundered in Nikias’ ears and his stomach turned, one of Nikias’ most hated feelings.
“You can hardly be surprised,” the girl said.
“When Prince Nikias wants something, he doesn’t seem to rest until he gets it.
I was in the class below Prince Nikias, so I didn’t see much of it, but everyone our age knew of the way he was with Faustina.
If he’s determined to take another wife, how is it pathetic that he’s committed to it? ”
Turpis laughed. “While it is possible he might simply enjoy the chase, I highly doubt that. You wouldn’t catch me trailing after a woman, begging her to marry me after she made me the laughingstock of the entire court.
I was there when he proposed, and it was an absolute embarrassment for the royal family.
Aimilia only impressed me all the more, humbling Prince Nikias like that.
He’s always turned his nose up at everyone else.
It was about time someone showed him he’s not as great as he would like us all to believe. ”
“So why is he still hanging on to the edge of her chiton like a child?” one of the men asked.
Turpis said, “It’s because he knows that’s the only way he’s going to salvage this.
The only way to make his humiliation go away is if he ends up the victor and bends Aimilia to his will.
It’s the only way he can save his reputation.
Otherwise, the only thing anyone will ever remember is the fact that she wouldn’t have him. ”
Several of the men laughed. Nikias waited for someone to suggest maybe he had more pure motives, but it never came. The girl just shook her head and said, “I don’t understand why he set his eyes on her in the first place. She’s no Faustina.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Once this is over, Commander Aimilia will have her victory and I’ll have mine, and then Prince Nikias will have no choice but to go find someone else to replace his precious Faustina.
” Turpis gestured to the girl and laughed.
“Maybe you can vie for the position. You’re not nearly as beautiful as Faustina was, but at this point, I don’t think Prince Nikias can afford to be picky. ”
The girl violently blushed and said, “Please, I’m not a commander.”
Turpis laughed. “Was Faustina?”
It had been clear what Turpis had been after, but at least Nikias had now heard it from his own mouth to confirm it. He’d been right. He’d suspected as much when Turpis first started sniffing around her, but now that Aimilia was competing, it was coming to a head.
Nikias simply wouldn’t stand for it. He was not going to lose Aimilia. He certainly wasn’t going to lose her to a sleazy, manipulative weasel.
Cyprian turned and caught Nikias’ gaze. Cyprian tilted his head, and Nikias nodded. They both quietly rose and left the dining hall, Turpis and the others none the wiser that Nikias had been listening or had even been there at all.
When the two of them reached the servants’ hall, Cyprian said, “That brat ought to be taught a lesson or two.”
Nikias’ jaw clenched before he said, “He will be. Maybe he’ll learn some respect when his plan completely falls apart.”
Cyprian raised an eyebrow. “I could interpret that one of two ways, Your Highness. Is there something I ought to know, considering I walked in on you sitting vigil over her bedside all night?”
Nikias said, “It wasn’t all night.”
An absolute lie, but Cyprian didn’t need to know that.
“And what about the rumors going on about her spending the night in your tent on the road?”
Nikias was going to find every single guard that had opened their mouths and he was going to kill them.
“I was injured. She was simply assisting the healers by watching over me. Nothing untoward happened.” Nikias narrowed his eyes. “And that is the last I am going to say on the matter. That’s not what we’re here to discuss. Commander Aimilia still insists on competing.”
“Well, Your Highness, I have no intention of losing, but I acknowledge my niece is a fierce opponent. However, I will not stand for that disrespectful brat to be brought into this house.”
Nikias said, “I have no intention of letting that happen either.”
Cyprian said, “You still mean to marry her?”
“I do.” Nikias leveled Cyprian with a stern look. “It will be because she wants to. Is that clear?”
“I understand, Your Highness. We both want the same thing.”
Nikias wasn’t entirely certain he believed that, but still said, “We do.”
“Have you seen her today?”
Nikias shook his head. “No, only briefly yesterday. That’s when I came in on Turpis.”
Cyprian raised an eyebrow. “After she left the infirmary?”
Nikias asked, “Should she not have left?”
Cyprian’s brow furrowed for a moment and then he shook it off. “I would have preferred it if she’d stayed, but if the healers let her go, I don’t have the authority to stop them. But considering…”
“Considering what?’
Cyprian lowered his voice. “Considering Eleni’s condition. She’s made no improvements. I fear she’s not going to last the night.”
Nikias said, “Believe me, we would both rather Aimilia not be in this at all, but I will not stop her. She would never forgive me.”
Cyprian said, “Then let’s hope she comes to her senses. She might be my competition but first she is my family. I don’t want to see any of them hurt. Did she say anything to you when you saw her?”
Nikias shook his head. “No. She wants to focus on the tournament.”
Cyprian hummed. Then he shook his head and bowed. “I should go check on Eleni. Good luck. Maybe you’ll be able to get through to Aimilia before she ends up getting herself hurt.”
Nikias watched Cyprian walk away before he glanced back at the dining hall. Nikias wasn’t going to let anyone take her from him. Not Turpis. Not even Aimilia herself.