It was afternoon, and the sun, still high in the sky, filled the air with a gentle warmth that convinced William to spend a few hours outdoors.
He had brought a book with him and settled in a wrought-iron gazebo near the queen's rose garden. It was a quiet corner, where he wouldn't run into any of the nobles who loitered around the court.
Instead, he was soon joined by Prince Alexander and little Prince Rudi, both armed with toy swords and determined to play a sword fight right in front of him.
William lifted his gaze from the pages of the novel he'd been trying to read and glanced toward the two princes. Alex was laughing a little too loudly as he pretended to be struck by his younger brother's wooden blade.
An innocent game that, for some reason, made him think of his own little brother. They had never been that close, and looking back, it was a shame. Noah must have suffered because of it.
Alex sprang to his feet and grabbed Prince Rudi by the waist, lifting him high. The child burst into loud laughter, and William allowed himself a tiny smile.
Maybe he had judged him too quickly. Prince Alexander hadn't changed much since William had first met him, over thirteen years earlier, and he didn't resemble the nobles William had dealt with at the Academy.
"It's a lovely day, isn't it?"
William startled and turned: Queen Victoria, wrapped in a voluminous sky-blue gown, was smiling at him.
"Your Majesty." He bowed quickly.
The woman took a seat beside him on the cushioned bench of the gazebo. "Are they bothering you?"
William shook his head. "No, it's actually nice to watch them."
The queen's lips curved in a knowing smile. "If you need silence, I can send them to play somewhere else if you need quiet."
"That wouldn't be right. They're princes, and I'm just a mage."
She nodded, folding her hands in her lap. "How are your injuries?"
"Better. I'm deeply sorry that His Highness was hurt."
"Alex has a strong constitution, even if he doesn't look it. And he was more worried about your wounds than his own."
William lowered his gaze to his pale fingers. He didn't understand the prince; his selflessness unsettled him.
"He's not what I expected," he murmured.
"And what did you expect?"
"I don't know. Someone a bit more… arrogant, I guess." He bit his lip. "Forgive me, I shouldn't have said that."
The queen let out a clear, crystalline laugh. There was no malice in the sound, no judgment. Only sincere surprise and a light amusement that warmed his chest.
Nothing like the laughter William had heard at the Academy.
"The day my son behaves arrogantly with anyone, you can be sure I'll tug his ear so hard it turns bright red."
The mage allowed himself a faint smile. "I don't doubt it, Your Majesty."
Prince Alexander burst into another loud laugh and darted off to chase his little brother. The sun lit his face, still bruised from Reyne's blows, yet the bronze tone of his skin radiated life and warmth. It formed a pleasant contrast with the gold of his hair and the pale blue of his eyes.
And he was so different from William that the mage wondered whether they made a strange match.
"Thank you for protecting him," the queen said.
He looked back at her and was surprised to find her so serious.
"I only did my duty, Your Majesty."
"You still deserve my thanks. Not as a queen, but as a mother." She met his gaze. "If anything had happened to either of you, I don't think I would have had the courage to look your mother in the eyes. It was my husband who underestimated the danger and sent you there without an escort. Whatever happened would have been entirely our fault."
"The King couldn't have known."
"No, but he was still reckless. He never meant to put you in danger, but that's what happened in the end. So thank you for protecting my son."
"His Highness did the same for me. You have no reason to feel indebted."
The Queen smiled and turned back to watch her two sons, who were still chasing each other around the gazebo.
"I hope your opinion of my son has improved a little. I know you don't think highly of the nobility, and that you two argued when you first met."
William flushed and lowered his gaze to the novel's leather cover.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have gotten angry with him in front of the entire court. I'm afraid I put him in a difficult position."
"I don't think so. Alex doesn't have a solid position." She looked back at him with a serious expression. "May I be completely honest with you?"
"Of course."
"Alex is not the fool the nobles paint him to be. He is intelligent and has a strong sense of justice, but he tends to trust people too much. Yet he insists on behaving frivolously in the hope that his father will decide to pass the crown to one of his sisters."
"I know. I mean, he isn't stupid, even if sometimes he throws himself into danger without thinking as much as he should."
"I assure you that my son does think. It's just that he puts others' safety before his own." A faint smile curved the queen's lips. "He will try to protect you, and he won't care if he gets hurt in the attempt."
Was that why he got angry every time William put himself in danger?
"Your presence here will weaken him," the queen continued. "Because you are a commoner and you have foreign blood. But I know that if my husband chose you, it is because you are the best choice for Alex."
"I don't think I have many good qualities. I'm just a mage."
"You are his Court Mage, William. The person closest to the future sovereign of Vellara." The queen took one of his hands and clasped it in her own. "I know it is selfish of me, but I would like you to stay by his side. I would like you to help him bloom. Alex needs someone to light his path, and you are the most suitable person."
"Why? I'm not good with people. I make him angry, and even though I don't mean to, I always end up hurting him."
"Because you are sincere. In his eyes, you are the only one here who has shown him sincerity. And perhaps you are the only one who can see him clearly."
William lowered his gaze to their joined hands. He was not sincere—he had told the prince so many lies that he no longer even knew what the truth was. And a part of him only wanted to flee that court and never set foot in it again.
But he couldn't. By now, he was bound to him, and that bond could not be broken. Perhaps only his death could.
By the spirits, he had deceived him even in that. He had drawn a good man to himself and trapped him in a spider's web.
"I will do my best, Your Majesty."
"And promise me you will take care of yourself as well."
William's eyes widened, and he looked at her in surprise. "Of myself?"
She smiled. "I am a mother too. If something were to happen to you, I would not have the courage to look your parents in the eye."
"I… I will. Thank you for your concern."
Why were they kind to a nobody like him? Why didn't they behave with the cruelty and arrogance of all the other nobles he had known?
"Why did you accept the position? You could have refused, citing any reason—the difference in rank or your health. The King wouldn't have insisted." She looked him in the eye, but there was no judgment or reproach there. Only curiosity. "And yet you came here, even though you don't hold the nobility or the court in high regard."
William looked away and tightened his fingers around the novel.
William looked away and tightened his fingers around the novel. "Your Majesty summoned me."
"That's all?"
"I could not refuse. My duty is to serve my kingdom."
The queen raised her eyebrows, then her lips curved into a gentle, almost maternal expression. "You are a strange boy, William, but I like you. I hope you'll find your place here at court."
He hoped so, too, but he doubted he would succeed.
"Mother!" Prince Rudi threw himself against the Queen's legs. "Did you see how good I am? I defeated big brother!"
The woman smiled and pinched his cheek. "You're wonderful, darling. I'm sure you'll become a great warrior."
Prince Alexander approached, and for a moment, William thought he looked embarrassed.
"Were we bothering you?" asked the prince.
William tightened his fingers around the novel. "There's no need to apologize."
"So that's a yes."
"Your Highness, you are the future King."
"And you're a nobody," Prince Alexander huffed. "You've told me that at least a hundred times already, and I'm not stupid. Sometimes you're really unpleasant."
William averted his gaze. There they were again, about to argue, only because they could not communicate. Only because he was a gloomy, odious man.
Prince Alexander was everything he would never be: noble, kind-hearted, and radiant like a small sun. A ray of light where the mage was a cold breath of wind. And he could brighten his world like no one ever had.
And William found himself envying him, wishing he too could light up the world with just a smile.