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“Of course, Mother.”
She smiled at him and patted his hand with her own. “Thank you, dear. Anyway, to you. How have you been? I saw you in the tabloids with that lovely French girl.”
“That was just gossip. We were only friends.” It was true — more or less.
“Hmm.” Karina tilted her head again, and Xander felt a stab of annoyance that she could read both him and his twin so well.
“How are you?” Xander asked. He wanted to preempt any further questions about his or Niko’s love lives. “I saw that you and Father are working on that new educational policy. Expanding the definition of a preschool to make childcare more affordable, right?”
“Right.” Karina launched into a description of the new policy, and Xander listened politely. Since he knew he’d never rule, he wasn’t particularly invested in the ins and outs of Aenicean policy. His eyes kept drifting back to Maisy as she danced, first with Niko, then with her father, then with a series of government officials and businessmen. Xander was impressed that her steps stayed so light and her smile stayed so real, even as she waltzed her fifteenth dance of the evening.
Eventually, the dancing wrapped up and the guests began to trickle out. Many were staying nearby or even in the palace in preparation for tomorrow’s wedding. A few of Niko’s groomsmen, including several childhood friends of both twins, found Xander and pulled him off for a quick prank on Niko — hiding one of his wedding shoes.
After the other groomsmen left, though, Xander retrieved the shoe and put it back with its mate. There was no need to stress his brother out, especially if their mother was right and he was having cold feet. Plus, the prank hadn’t been particularly clever. Xander smiled to himself as he remembered the kind of mischief he and his brother used to pull on each other as children, before they both grew up and Niko became increasingly serious and dutiful in preparation for his princely duties.
Finally, most of the guests were asleep. A few servants still walked the corridors, preparing pieces for the wedding tomorrow or doing the daily tasks of keeping such a large palace running. Xander started towards his room, but paused when he saw a door to one of the towers slightly ajar. When they were young, he and Niko had climbed the tower and locked the door behind them to avoid schoolwork, tutoring sessions, and endless rounds of dancing lessons. Could the door be open because Niko was upstairs now?
Xander hesitated, then slipped past the door and climbed the stairs into the tower. At the top was a veranda overlooking Aenicea in all its midnight glory. And leaning against the railing, a bottle of whiskey in hand, was Niko.
Xander smiled slightly at the realization that this was the second terrace-based meeting of the event with one half of the soon-to-be-married couple. Then he stepped onto the veranda and closed the door behind him. Niko started slightly at the sound and turned.
“Xander. It’s only you.”
“Wow. What a greeting.” Still, Xander crossed to his brother and leaned against the railing beside him. Niko offered him the bottle of whiskey, which Xander was alarmed to discover was already half empty, but Xander shook his head. He wanted his thoughts to stay clear tonight. One of the brothers had better be sober.
“What are you hiding from?” Xander asked.
Niko looked slightly surprised. “What makes you think I’m hiding from anything?”
“We always used to come out here to escape our duties. Remember how our math tutor used to bang on the door downstairs?”
“’Come out right now or I’ll make you do extra algebra!’” Niko recalled, his voice sounding just like that of their old tutor.
“Exactly. So, what are you hiding from today?”
Niko sighed and stepped away from the railing so he could rest his head on his hands. “Marriage,” he said, his voice slightly muffled.
For some reason, the admission irked Xander.
“Marriage? Why?”
“I… I don’t want this, Xander.” Niko straightened and turned to his brother. His eyes held an emotion Xander hadn’t seen from his brother in many years — something like regret. Guilt, even.
“Okay…” Xander waved a hand to encourage his brother to keep speaking. “Why not?”
“This isn’t what I wanted. None of it is.” Niko swept a hand across the darkened city. “I didn’t ask to get engaged as part of a political alliance. I didn’t ask to spend every moment of my life trying to do everything right to appease the public.”
“Niko.” Xander’s voice was low. He’d never heard his brother speak like this. It seemed their mother was right about the cold feet, after all. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t know. What I do know is that I don’t want to get married tomorrow.”
“It’s normal to be stressed.” Xander wasn’t sure what to say, but he had to say something. “I think a lot of people feel this way before their wedding night. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t the right thing to do.”
“What makes you so sure it is?”
“I mean, don’t you love Maisy?”
Niko sighed. “She’s a wonderful person. But like I said, this isn’t the life I would have chosen for myself.”
