Page 86 of The Prince's Mage

Anything to take her mind off the fact that everything was resting on her shoulders and in a few short minutes she would have to stand before the king, queen, and whole court and perform a feat that only a few days before had been impossible.

Marcella grinned. “There he is, your library love.”

Aimilia choked on the bite she was taking and started swatting at Marcella, who simply slipped into Gavril’s grip and he pulled her out of arm’s reach. Aimilia wheezed, “I liked you better when you didn’t speak our language.”

Gavril snorted. “For the amount of grief you have given me, I’m glad someone is giving it back to you. But for the record, while we all know those are just rumors, you deserve better than Nikias, and you are more than capable of beating the other Mitis commanders and leading your house.”

Aimilia caught her breath, her face starting to return to its normal color as she still coughed a few times and hit her chest. She said, “Thanks, Gavril.”

Marcella nodded and said, “Yes, I can’t imagine a better opponent. I ate so much dirt that week.”

Aimilia laughed. “You were holding back.”

“Not as much as you might think.”

Aimilia rolled her eyes and took another bite before launching into more news and chatter she’d heard surrounding the mysterious event. Marcella stayed in Gavril’s grip, memorizing the way his arms felt around her.

She tried not to worry, feel her heart crawling up her throat, or hear the thoughts spinning in her head.

What if she failed? What if Gavril found out her orders? What if it didn’t matter?

What if she woke up on the table tomorrow?

The night went on and it seemed the whole courtyard started to buzz with anticipation. Marcella was beginning to wish she hadn’t eaten the few things she had as her stomach turned despite Gavril’s soft touch and quiet reassurances.

Finally, Nikias moved in their direction, and Aimilia immediately pointed to the other side of the courtyard where no one was standing and said, “Oh, look, it’s my cousin, I really should go say hello.”

Aimilia was not a subtle woman. Gavril rolled his eyes, but Aimilia was gone before either of them could tell her to stay. Marcella couldn’t blame her though. Being seen even just standing near Nikias would only make any rumors worse.

Nikias came up to them, his expression cold and blank as he addressed Gavril, “Do you have the limiters?”

They were going to make a big show of putting the limiters on Gavril so there would be no doubt about him casting an illusion of Marcella using Inimicus runes.

Gavril’s eyes widened. “I thought you were supposed to have them.”

Nikias frowned. “No. They go on your wrists. They were your responsibility.”

If she didn’t know Gavril would rather rip his own tongue out than give Nikias a kind smile, she would have thought they had to be joking. Neither of them had them?

Gavril made a noise in the back of his throat. “I don’t have any on me.”

“Run down and get some quickly then. I can’t disappear. I’m supposed to make my announcement soon or our parents are going to be rather displeased,” Nikias said. “If I leave, it will cause a fuss.”

Gavril nodded and started to move, pulling her with him. “Alright, Marcella and I will be right back.”

Nikias let out a long sigh and held up his good arm, the other still in a sling. Without help from their heretics, an injury like that took a long time to heal. Still, he should be getting close to fully healed. “You can’t leave her alone with me for five minutes? You really hate me that much after I’ve been helping you? After I’ve put my magic on the line in a promise I would do nothing to her?”

“Yes, I really do hate you that much. Marcella—”

Marcella pulled her hand out of his grip and pushed at his shoulder. “Go. It will be five minutes. I promise I will not kill him while you are gone.”

Gavril’s annoyance faded and he smiled at her. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and said, “Fine. As you command. I will be right back.”

Marcella watched Gavril hurry through the crowd and back into the palace, and once he was out of sight, Nikias said, “I do not know how, but he adores you.”

Marcella had been hoping and expecting she and Nikias would just stand there in an awkward silence and pretend the other wasn’t there until Gavril came back. Or Aimilia would rescue her, but there was little chance of that because of the rumors.

“I do not know how either,” Marcella settled on saying.

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