Nikolas followed Alex and William with his gaze as they were carried out of the hall, and for a long moment, he felt the urge to go after them.
But it would be foolish.
William was an asshole, but he had betrayed them both. The man he claimed to love and his dearest friend. He didn't even have the right to breathe the same air as them.
"I'm awful…"
"You can say that again."
Nikolas startled and shot a glare at Lester Amato. "What the hell do you want?"
The advisor tilted his head, and his long silver hair slid along his cheek. "Could I have a word with you in private?"
"Do you have to? The prince has been poisoned—perhaps we have more important things to do than whisper to each other."
"Oh, but it's about His Highness, actually." He leaned toward him, and despite being a full head shorter, Nikolas felt a shiver of fear. "I'd rather not have to insist."
"Fine, if you must."
He followed him out of the hall and into a secluded corridor lit by a few flickering torches. The murmur coming from the interrupted banquet and the shuffle of soldiers combing the entire palace reached them muffled.
"What is it, Lester?"
The advisor smiled, but his pale eyes remained serious. "You've really made quite a mess, you know?"
"I did what I had to."
"Oh, did you? You had to break the prince's heart? Separate him from the one person capable of saving his life? Humiliate your old lover?"
Nikolas dug his nails into his palms. "It's his fault! He just had to be honest with me—I wasn't asking for anything too difficult. Just the truth."
"And once you had it, what good would it have done you?"
"That's my business. And if that's what you want to talk about, we can end this right here."
He tried to walk past him, but Lester grabbed him by the arm.
"You still don't understand that nothing that happens in this palace is just your business." His smile sharpened. "Because of your childish little act of spite, a competent man has been driven from court at the very moment the crown needs capable and reliable people the most. It's selfish behavior like yours that weakens this kingdom."
Nikolas shook his hand off with irritation. "And why do you care?"
"I care because I swore to protect Vellara. As Duke of Calene, it is my sacred duty."
"What on earth are you talking about?"
Lester shook his head and, for the first time, seemed genuinely amused. "Haven't you studied history, Nikolas? The founding of this kingdom and the four dukes?"
What was he talking about?
"I don't know anything about that, and I don't care. Now leave me alone—I'm not in the right mood to talk."
"Too bad, because I am."
Lester grabbed him by the jacket and shoved him against the wall. He pinned him with his own body and pressed his forearm against his throat. A dangerous light flickered in his pale eyes.
"You mages are pretty but incapable of defending yourselves."
"Are you attacking me?"
"On the contrary, I just want to talk." He patted him on the cheek. "Will you listen willingly, or would you rather stay like this? Not that I'd mind— have a weakness for freckles."
Nikolas flushed. "Let go of me. I'll listen."
"Pity." Lester released him, and a smile played on his lips. "But I suppose you're still in love with William."
"Mind your own business."
"Though perhaps after tonight you'll manage to leave him behind."
Nikolas pressed his lips together and looked away. He doubted it—even if something inside him had broken when he had seen William and Alex together. It was as though he had suddenly realized he'd been left behind.
Those two loved each other, and in that love there was no room for him.
Perhaps there never had been.
"You have very little tact, Lester."
"I have tact, but wearing gloves wouldn't help you in this case. Everyone can see that those two share a bond far deeper than is proper. To William, you are nobody now." He smiled. "In fact, right now you're a traitor and an asshole, and he probably hates you—which is still better than being invisible, isn't it?"
"I did what I had to. William shouldn't be here."
"You're a liar, Nikolas. You just wanted him to look at you again—it didn't matter how." He patted him on the cheek. "I didn't take you for such a masochist."
Nikolas slapped his hand away and stepped back. "If you want to mock me, go ahead. I don't care."
"What I want is for William to remain at court, and you'll need to do your part. After tonight, there's no doubt he's more than capable—but you must stand on my side in the Council. We'll handle the matter without the king. It's for the best."
"Why would you do that? What do you gain from helping William?"
For the first time since dragging him into that corridor, Lester met his gaze with a serious expression—not a trace of a smile on his lips.
"Because His Highness needs his guardians now more than ever."
"Guardians?"
"The unification of this kingdom, centuries ago, was the work of a young king from a central realm — but he did not do it alone. At his side were five people, or guardians: four of them were rewarded with a dukedom at the end of the war."
"You mean… the current dukedoms?"
"Yes. The direct descendants of those four people are still alive today, even if not all of them hold a dukedom." Lester tapped a finger against his chest. "And two of those people are you and me."
Nikolas frowned. "So what?"
"A very ancient spirit blessed the first king, but he was not alone on that occasion. Those present swore to serve him in life and beyond, and an oath sealed by magic is eternal. That duty has been passed down to his descendants, and now it rests on our shoulders."
"We have to serve Alex? Is that what you're telling me?"
Lester smiled. "See, you can be sharp when you want to be."
"And how do you know any of this? There's nothing about it in the history books."
"Oh, when I was a child, a mage read me the future, or something of the sort."
Nikolas stiffened. "Really?"
"No, I'm joking." Lester raised a fist to his mouth. "By the spirits, you're adorably gullible."
"Stop it!"
"In truth, it's a story passed down from generation to generation within my family. My father used to tell me all the time."
"And it never occurred to you that it might be nonsense? Your father isn't even Vellarian." He huffed. "And here I'm the gullible one…"
"My mother is Vellarian, and she's the descendant."
Nikolas shot him a glare. "You're crazy."
He walked past him, heading back toward the hall. He'd had more than enough of all that raving.
Lester sighed. "You know that His Highness is gifted with a great deal of magic? Far more than his father and grandfather?"
Nikolas stopped and turned to look at him again: Lester was still smiling, but this time there was a challenge in his gaze.
"You're a mage, Nikolas—you should know what it means when magic shifts in this way."
"A great change," he murmured. "For better or for worse."
"The future king needs his guardians. For his sake and the kingdom's." Lester drew closer. "Especially now that an assassin has targeted His Highness."
Nikolas hesitated. He wasn't sure he could believe the tale about blessings and oaths, but Alex's magic was truly far vaster than the king's. It had to mean something.
"Does William know?"
Lester sighed. "By the spirits, you really are obsessed. You should forget about him—I don't think he's the right man for you."
"What would you know about it?"
"He doesn't love you. That much seems clear."
Nikolas frowned. "Are you going to answer my question or not?"
He shrugged. "I don't know whether he's aware of it, but I doubt it."
"Is he one of the guardians, or whatever they're called?"
"No. The other two are Lady Aldeburn and Lady Ballard."
"Ballard's daughter? You're joking."
"I wish, but unfortunately, that's the way of it. Fate can be truly ironic sometimes."
"And… the fifth person? You said there were five of them, didn't you?"
Lester furrowed his brow. "I don't know who they were, or whether they had any descendants. The legends rarely speak of them and don't agree with one another. Some say it was a half-brother of the king, later erased from the court records; others say it was a lover who died in childbirth, or a foreign friend killed in war and forgotten."
"And if they survived and had descendants?"
"It could be anyone. They might not even be Vellarian." Lester shrugged. "There isn't much point in talking about it. Better to focus on what we have, don't you think?"
"You are… a very strange man."
"So I'm told." Lester winked at him. "So, do you intend to help me?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"You can refuse, but in that case I might become quite unpleasant, and I'd rather our relationship didn't sour." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hate being cruel outside the bedroom. But if you leave me no alternative, I'll have to punish you."
Nikolas flushed and stepped away from him. "Fine, I'll help you. Even if I doubt this story is true."
But if he had a chance to make up for his mistake, he wasn't going to let it slip away. He hated William for lying to him and treating him with coldness, and he hated Alex for being a better man than he was — but most of all, he hated himself for that guilt he couldn't ignore.
He had hoped that being hated would be better than being ignored, but in those days, he had come to realize that all he wanted was their forgiveness.
He looked back at Lester. "Why are you doing this? Are you hoping to gain something from His Highness once he becomes king?"
"Oh no, I'm doing it simply because I like him and because I love Vellara." The smile on the advisor's face softened. "All I want is for his people to go on living in peace."
"That's all?"
"Is it really so strange that a man has no ambition for some twisted form of power?"
"In this palace it is."
Lester laughed. "Well then, I'm proud to be strange. And I don't think I'm the only one, am I right?"
Nikolas looked away. "Alex is like a brother to me."
"And yet you hurt him."
"I only wanted… to protect him."
"Do you truly believe William is dangerous?"
"I don't know. He… he wasn't like this once. He was kind, but now he doesn't seem much different from the other nobles."
"Perhaps it's your bitterness that shows you a distorted image of William." Lester clasped his hands behind his back and stepped past him. "Perhaps you should simply let go of the past and start looking ahead."
Nikolas pressed his lips together but said nothing. Lester Amato was a strange sort, with that ever-present smile and his long hair so pale it looked like threads of silver. Who knew what he was really after…
He shook off those thoughts. "If you want my help, you'll have it."