Page 74 of The Prince's Mage

Aimilia poured the first cup—ever since Nikias had started joining them she’d stopped bringing tea, claiming she wasn’t going to waste it on him—and said, “Rumor has it some top-secret information came in during the dead of night so he is off doing that and we are free from him! At least for a few hours.”

Marcella picked up the cup Aimilia just poured and said in her thick accent that Gavril adored, “So tea?”

Aimilia snorted. “Yes, that means tea.”

Marcella’s demeanor didn’t change as she took a sip before sitting down next to Aimilia and immediately picking back up where they left off in sentence structure and conjugation.

Gavril took his seat beside her, watching both of them for a moment. So… if Marcella wasn’t any different when Nikias was gone… then the chance he was the cause of her nervousness was unlikely.

Was it the raven from the other day that was a bad omen to her people?

No, she’d been jumpy before that.

Was it the pressure of what they were asking her to accomplish?

Gavril had expected after Nikias insisted Marcella learn how to cast with two hands that she would protest and tell him she wasn’t capable of it. He was pleasantly surprised when she hadn’t. He’d thought that meant maybe he’d finally gotten through to her at least somewhat that she believed she was capable. That she believed, at least a little less, that she was just mediocre. A failure.

Worthless.

But there were times when he could see it in her eyes. When she didn’t understand a concept Aimilia had explained to her five times, and Aimilia’s waspishness was starting to seep past the walls of her broken patience, Gavril could see the way she would bite her cheek and stare down at the paper in an attempt to hide the water in her eyes.

She was his wife even if he was too cowardly to tell her before he had the best chance at keeping her. He knew how to read her.

That was always when he would gently put his hand on her shoulder and lean in and tell her how wonderfully she was doing with such an impossible task. Maybe one day she would believe him.

He didn’t fully understand why that would have her so on edge though. While sooner was better, this wasn’t something to be rushed, and with Nikias placating their parents, they had time.

They were an hour in when he saw the first signs of Aimilia’s patience fraying and Marcella’s insecurities and frustration with herself start to creep in. Before he could do anything about it, the door to the library was opening, and Nikias, as pale as marble with deep bags under his eyes, stood in the doorway.

Marcella looked up from her work, and when she looked at Nikias, he immediately narrowed his eyes at her. She narrowed hers right back. Gavril sighed as Aimilia abandoned trying to teach Marcella and instead grabbed the teapot and poured the last of it into her cup, overfilling it just so there was nothing left.

But Nikias didn’t move to join them. He just looked at Gavril and said, “Gavril, a word?”

What could he have to say that Gavril cared to hear?

He debated refusing for a moment before Marcella sighed and said, “Go. Be fine. Aimilia won’t strangle, right?”

“I will try not to,” Aimilia said, picking up her cup and taking a careful sip.

Gavril pushed himself out of his seat, leaning over Marcella as he did to whisper in her tongue, “You’re doing excellently. You have learned so much so fast. Every day you amaze me.”

He was rewarded with her cheeks flushing as he stepped back from the table while Aimilia was rolling her eyes.

Gavril followed Nikias out into the hallway and crossed his arms. “What do you want?”

“I want the demon’s lookalike to have at least a fraction of the intelligence the demon does and hurry up. This is taking too long,” Nikias snapped.

“Show my wife, and the woman you owe your life to, a little more respect if you expect me to spend another second standing here.”

Nikias huffed. “She needs to learn how to do this faster or else it’s not going to matter.”

“What are you talking about? Is it our parents? Wait—” Gavril tilted his head. “Some information came in last night, according to the rumors. Is that what this is about?”

The slight shift in Nikias’ expression betrayed him even as he attempted to keep his voice as steady as stone. “It’s confidential, and I can’t trust you won’t go spilling it to your Sordes.”

“Why? Does it concern her?” He would protect her. Whatever it was. He could not lose her again.

“It concerns us all.” Nikias shook his head and sighed. “Promise you won’t tell a soul, including the lookalike.”

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