Page 74 of The Prince's Captive

The sound of someone clearing their throat had them both turning to see Nikias standing on the other end of the hallway, arms crossed. Nikias said, “Come on, you’re almost late.”

As Gavril and Aimilia fell into step again, she leaned over and whispered, “Oh, I expect you will. And I expect it to be stupid. So don’t get too comfortable. I have your back tonight, but tomorrow? Tomorrow you’re going to have to deal with the Aimilia you were supposed to come back and propose to but instead gave a Sordes girl the name I was supposed to have on my wrist. Trust me, that Aimilia is going to eat you alive.”

Gavril expected as much.

Aimilia might have been his closest friend, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t spent most of that friendship in a respectful awe and terror of her. She was not someone to make an enemy of. Unfortunately, Gavril had.

He had no time to respond to Aimilia as they approached Nikias, who was eyeing Gavril. Nikias was, as usual, dressed in a black chiton with a black cloak with commander’s trimming on it. It had been over three years since Nikias had worn the traditional white or red one. Over three years since he’d worn anything but sleeves tied down to his wrists.

Nikias said, “It appears like you did an adequate job washing the filth off yourself.”

“The cell wasn’t that dirty.”

“I meant the she-wolf.”

Aimilia catching his fist and using her whole weight to shove him a step back was the only thing that saved Nikias from a black eye. Gavril opened his mouth, ready to yell at him worse than he’d gotten onto Aimilia, but then the doors to the banquet hall were being opened by servants, and he only had a second to compose himself.

His parents seeing him try to hit and berate Nikias was not going to end well for him.

Or Marcella.

He took a deep breath as Aimilia made it look like she’d been leaning on his arm and laughing at something he’d said while Nikias quickly turned, rolling his eyes to keep up the façade as their parents spotted the scene from where they were already seated at the table.

“—too funny, isn’t he?” Aimilia let out a shrill, fake laugh and looked over at Nikias. “I guess only one of you can be witty and charming.”

And now it was almost like any other family dinner.

Nikias raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder, completely unoffended and collected as he walked into the banquet room. “Commander, I’ve heard what makes you laugh before. Your standards for wit are appallingly low.”

“And yet you’ve never once met them.” Aimilia flashed him a wry grin before looping her arm through Gavril’s despite the fact that she was technically Nikias’ guest.

“Commander Aimilia of Mitis, I didn’t think you would be joining us on this occasion,” Mother said, eyeing the way Aimilia was on Gavril’s right arm before directing her glare to his left arm where the marks of his marriage bond and Marcella’s name written in their runes were displayed.

Nikias cleared his throat and came to a stop behind the chair across from his usual place at the table. Nikias usually sat to their father’s right, and he pulled the chair out slightly with a smirk. “Commander Aimilia is my guest actually. She might have forgotten. Old habits are hard to break.”

Mother raised an eyebrow and seemed to look at Aimilia in a new light.

Aimilia dropped Gavril’s arm and let Nikias seat her with only a slight wrinkle in her nose exposing her distaste. Nikias’ smirk didn’t fade as he moved to take his seat across from her, leaving Gavril with two options. Sit by Nikias or sit by Aimilia.

He wished he was sitting on a log offering a hard, tasteless ration cake to a girl he could barely get two words out of.

But if he was going to keep his promise to Marcella, he had to get through this first.

He sat by Aimilia. He at least knew she was safe for tonight. Nikias… Gavril didn’t know if he could afford to trust Nikias right now.

Seeing someone who was the exact replica of the Desero demon seemed to have taken all of his good sense right out of him.

Not to mention the image of Marcella on that table still haunted him every time he blinked, and he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t be overcome with the urge to strangle Nikias for it.

And if Nikias was really trying to make up for it, Gavril couldn’t lose Nikias’ support in this matter.

Once Gavril was seated, his father—who had just been glaring at Gavril since the doors had opened and Gavril didn’t expect him to stop—gestured and the servants immediately began bringing dishes out.

“Son, I know you well enough to know when you’re up to something. I suggest for the sake of avoiding a painfully long dinner, you lead with it,” Father said, giving Nikias a sharp look. He then turned to Gavril and said, “Boy, I expect to see some gratitude for choosing to let your actions yesterday go unpunished. You will be respectful tonight.”

Gavril’s blood was already boiling, but he ground out in a somewhat decent tone, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Nikias gave him an approving nod, and Gavril hated himself for swallowing the words on his tongue. He’d done nothing wrong. They had broken the law by interrogating his wife and letting a healer have her up on one of those tables in the first place.

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