Alex watched the advisors take their seats, then pulled a chair over to one end of the table so he could look at them all. Aside from William and the Count of Hassex, no one was absent.
"What is my presence needed for?"
Lester smiled. "To answer a few questions. I proposed to my colleagues that we reassess William's situation in light of what happened last night, but I'm afraid we'll need some clarification from you."
Was he referring to their relationship? Alex didn't remember what he had said while in an altered state, but judging by his sisters' remarks, it must have been fairly unambiguous.
"Very well, go ahead."
Lester stood up. "I'll be brief: William has proven himself reliable, loyal, and far more competent than most of us, so I believe he should stay."
"He's Xianese," Ballard snapped.
"Oh, yes, but neither Lord Kalian nor I are entirely Vellarian."
"You are a duke and Kalian is a marquess."
"And William is His Highness's Court Mage. And perhaps something more." Lester smiled. "If it weren't for him, I fear we would be officiating a funeral today."
Alex shuddered. That man had a strange way about him, with those affable and composed smiles that seemed more like masks than anything else. And yet, for some reason, he felt he could trust him.
A murmur spread among the advisors.
"Lester is right," said Lydia Aldeburn. "He is not of noble birth, but he is an excellent mage, intelligent and quick-thinking. Yesterday he was among the few who kept their composure and intervened in time to save His Highness's life. We cannot ignore that."
Ballard's lips twisted. "His knowledge of herbs is suspicious. How can be certain it wasn't him who did the poisoning?"
"And how?" Nikolas cut in. "He was at our table — he had no opportunity to poison the goblet."
"He didn't need one. All he needed was to make arrangements with a servant. Commoners understand each other."
"William would never do that," Alex interjected with a smile he didn't truly feel. "He and I are bound by a magical bond that cannot be broken; if I am poisoned or wounded, he's poisoned or wounded too. You saw for yourselves what condition his leg was in, didn't you?"
The advisors nodded, their assent tepid and uncertain, and a faint hope bloomed in the prince's chest. Perhaps he could really change their mind.
"No one with even a shred of intelligence would ever risk their own life to poison a man only to pretend to save him in the hope of avoid being dismissed. If William wished to remain here, he had far better strategies available — such as bribing or threatening you, or begging me to ignore the vote."
"And did he?" asked Lydia.
"No, on the contrary — he begged me to let it go. He didn't want to cause me trouble for a fault he felt was entirely his own."
Lester smiled. "A truly honest man, wouldn't you say?"
"I'm not convinced," said Ballard. "He is a foreigner and a mage — who's to say he hasn't cast a spell on us?"
Nikolas frowned. "Magic doesn't work that way. We cannot manipulate people; we can only act on the physical plane. Moreover, the only way we have to cast spells is through the grimoire, and as you may have noticed, William never brings his to our meetings. Out of respect for all of us."
"They say he has a unique talent for magic. Perhaps he can do things you are not capable of."
"It's impossible. William, like me, specializes in elemental spells — particularly those linked to air and fire — and knows some basic healing spells that he uses to keep his hemophilia under control."
Lydia's eyes went wide. "He's a hemophiliac?"
"Yes."
"But then yesterday, when he wounded His Highness…"
"He risked a severe blood loss." Nikolas lowered his gaze. "That is precisely why we should have no reason to doubt his loyalty."
"He's Xianese," Ballard cut in again. "He could be a spy for the Empire."
"He was born and raised in Vellara. He has no ties to Xia."
"But he knows the language and its customs, and he wears Xianese clothes. Even his mannerisms are the same as those devils."
"And so? He appreciates his mother's culture — I see nothing suspicious in that."
"Well, I do." Ballard rose from his chair. "And I also find this change of heart of yours suspicious, Nikolas. You voted against him, and now you support him. Did he promise you something?"
"No. The reason I voted against William is… a personal matter. We had an argument and I took revenge. It was not behavior befitting a royal advisor, and I am ashamed of it." Nikolas met Ballard's eyes. "Three years ago we were in a relationship — he left me, and I never forgave him. Do you want to know the details as well?"
"No, keep them to yourself."
Alex smirked. The meeting was going better than he had hoped; the majority of the advisors seemed to have few doubts that William deserved the role he had been given.
"It seems the mage has a preference for nobles." Ballard turned toward the prince. "Am I right, Your Highness?"
"Well, it seems he was the only commoner at the Academy. He had little choice but to fall in love with a noble."
"He could have simply chosen not to fall in love."
Alex laughed. "Come now, we were all adolescents once, weren't we? Don't tell me you no longer remember what it feels like at that age. The desire to discover the world and intimacy, the need to have someone close to confide in. At court, young people enjoy courting each other, and dancing together; at the Academy, they go straight to holding hands and stealing kisses in secret."
"And besides, Ballard," Lester cut in, "isn't that precisely why you had your daughter educated by a private tutor? You should know that love tends to bloom easily in that kind of environment."
"I suppose so," the advisor grunted. "But you cannot ignore the fact that the mage has gone from warming the bed of a duke's son to warming the bed of the future king. If you'll allow me, I find that suspicious."
Alex pressed his lips together and shot him a sharp look. "I'm not a fool who loses his head over the first man who comes along. I'm aware of the choices I make, and if I place my trust in him, it's because I know he deserves it."
"Your Highness, I didn't mean to—"
"Let me finish." He rose from his chair. "William didn't appeal to me at first, and I even considered sending him away — but in Astya he saved my life. He stayed by my side even when he disagreed with my plan, and even after I had invited him to leave."
He placed a hand on the table and leaned toward them.
"And do you know what? That stubborn, rigid, and detached manner of his is precisely what made me fall in love. Because he has reprimanded me since the very first time we met, but in his own way, he has always pushed me to be a better man."
He had always made him feel worthy of the crown everyone wanted to place on his head.
"The man you see today was always there; I pretended to be a fool in the hope that my father would choose a different heir, without realizing that this is my place and my destiny. William is not manipulating me — he is supporting me."
He took a deep breath and ran a hand over his forehead, then studied each of the advisors in turn.
"So yes, we are in a relationship, and yes, it was I who wanted him to be more than my mage. And I know that my duty to this kingdom is to choose a consort and have children, so I have no intention of giving up on marriage. I will seek a suitable consort, but William will remain at my side. As my mage and as my lover. And that is non-negotiable."
He could have yielded on many things, but not on that.
For a long moment there was only silence. Ballard looked at him and curved his lips into a thin smile.
"Your Highness, I don't believe you have understood the position you are in."
"On the contrary, I understand it perfectly. I need you in order to govern." Alex met his gaze. "But you need me as well. Without a sovereign, the Council is useless. So we might come to an arrangement: you leave William alone, and I uphold the agreements I have made with each of you."
"All of them?"
"All of them. I am a man of my word, Ballard. Our agreement is still valid and I have no intention of going back on it."
At least until he found a way to annul that marriage agreement and marry William.
The advisor crossed his arms over his chest and cast a brief glance at the others.
"If you assure us that your… infatuation with the mage will not harm the kingdom, we might reassess his situation in light of what happened yesterday."
"My infatuation will do no harm. I'm a grown man, Ballard, and I'm perfectly capable of distinguishing allies from enemies and of keeping my private life separate from my public duties. I will not favor William any more than I will favor any of you, and I will cause no scandal."
Lester smiled. "You are truly reassuring, Your Highness. Shall we proceed to the vote, then?"
The advisors nodded.
"Very well. There are eleven of us. Those in favor of allowing William to stay, please raise your hand."
Seven hands went up.
Four hands remained down.
Alex smiled. "Excellent. I would say the Council has spoken."