Chapter 18: Faking

It's an incredibly simple plan.

Aesind and Emrys already spend quite a bit of time together. Friendly chats, casual walks in the garden, late dinners, and the occasional afternoon tea are the norm for them when the suitors don't demand all of Aesind's attention. They've only had to make two changes to make this plan work.

The first is scheduling. During breakfast, Aesind lays out expectations for the day as usual. He makes a deliberate point to include Emrys in his schedule. The fact that Mister Rischer is suddenly missing has already set an uneasy tone, but the explicit mention of Emrys's allotted time gives a whole new meaning to the word uncomfortable.

Only Keyes has a moderately neutral reaction. In fact, he offers Emrys a little smile when their eyes meet across the breakfast table. It's not friendly, exactly, being a tight pull of the mouth born of recognition of a competitor, but it's still a gesture. Emrys returns the look with a respectful nod of his own.

Emrys is slated for lunch, officially. He and Aesind will also meet late tonight behind closed doors to discuss the day and whether either of them find anything noteworthy about the suitors' behavior during the day.

As breakfast adjourns, Aesind's first appointed suitor, Mister Nolan, approaches him. They're apparently going for a walk in the gardens to enjoy the fresh late spring air. Before they head out the door that leads directly outside from the dining room, Emrys makes a point to pass close by the pair.

"I'll see you later," Emrys murmurs loudly enough to Aesind that Nolan can't possibly miss it. He offers a little smile that's no more flirtatious than usual.

Aesind's smile purses against a laugh. He's clearly picked up on what Emrys is doing. He gives Emrys a nod before addressing Nolan and directing them both out the doors. The venomous look Nolan shoots over his shoulder isn't lost on Emrys, but he just lets his smile curl into a knowing smirk.

Because the second part of the plan is to flirt. Not all the time, only when the suitors are pecking about. Just being around each other and seeking each other out has been enough to raise eyebrows. If they want to draw out more information and force the sponsors to send better suitors, they've got to work with intention.

The moment Emrys is alone outside the dining area, he pauses to lean against a wall. He presses a hand to his chest as though it could keep his heart in place. Unfortunately for him, it's already on the run, and there's nothing he can do about it.

This entire plan is going to be the death of him, he just knows it.

.oOo.

Emrys watched Aesind write his letter to Archimedes explaining their plan a few minutes ago. Now, they're sitting together as they tend to at this time of day, enjoying a cozy lunch and chatting.

Ordinarily, they'd sit in the library or in one of the private sitting rooms upstairs. Hiding away would defeat the purpose of their plan, though, so Aesind guided Emrys out to the terrace to bask in the midday sun instead. They're not far from where Emrys and Ash play chess, but instead of being tucked away out of sight, they're nearer to the middle of the space beneath a carefully tilted umbrella.

Their conversation hasn't faltered for a second since they sat down. It's been a tiring day already, and it's barely noon. Emrys can tell that Aesind is upset about something one of the two suitors he's seen so far said or did. He's still talking and laughing, but there's an obvious melancholy about him even as he smiles brightly.

Emrys has been letting him chatter about whatever he likes. It's helped some, and every quip Emrys fires off and every question Emrys asks perks him up a little more, but it isn't enough. Whatever's weighing on him is serious.

Emrys casts a surreptitious look around them. One of the staff is nearby to cater to their lunch and fetch whatever they might need at a moment's notice. Their eyes are averted, giving the appearance of polite indifference. No one else is around.

It's as much an opportunity as Emrys is going to get. During a pause as Aesind takes a bite of his fragrant, leafy salad, Emrys leans closer and lowers his voice. "Hey. Are you alright?"

"Hm?" Aesind's brow furrows. After a bit of green swallowing, he gives a confused frown. "I'm fine. Why?"

"You seem annoyed," Emrys says in the same low voice. "I just want to make sure one of these bastards didn't try something they shouldn't."

Aesind sighs. "No, they didn't try anything. Mister Nolan asked me several pointed questions about Rischer's removal. I'm mostly worried it's going to have more consequences than I really want to deal with."

"Why does he care?" Emrys asks. He waves a half-eaten jam cookie in the air. "Less competition means better chances, right?"

"You'd think so, but I suspect Misters Nolan and Rischer are closer in some way than they might first appear." Aesind's eyes drop to his salad. He pushes a halved cherry tomato around before spearing it with his fork. "Not friendly by any measure, but they'd been speaking to each other when no one else was around."

"How do you know?"

"Few things happen in this house that I don't know about, Emrys." He gives Emrys a grim smile and waves his forked tomato in a tight spiral. "The staff see nearly everything. And what they manage to miss, Ash doesn't. If their conversations aren't happening behind the closed door of their guest rooms, there's almost always someone around to hear it."

"That makes sense," Emrys says slowly, absorbing the implications of that. These suitors have been suspicious for a while now, of course Aesind and Archimedes would have their staff monitor their visitors' movements, conversations, and behavior.

Have they been tracking Emrys in the same way?

Has Ash?

"I don't like it," Aesind mutters. He examines the shine on the red surface of the tomato.

Emrys lowers his voice even further. "Have you noticed anything with Mister Reeves?"

"Beyond that he's an asshole, no." His leg bounces beneath the table, sending a tremor through the surface. "Have you?"

"Sort of," Emrys says, frowning. He grasps the edges of the table. "Careful, don't shake too hard."

"Ah, sorry."

"Reeves is too polite. You know what I mean?" Emrys taps the edge of another jam cookie on his plate as he thinks. "To everyone, but especially to me. Almost like he's trying to be my friend, except that he clearly hates me."

"I don't like it," Aesind repeats, tenser this time. A line appears between his brows. "I don't like that he's here. I need to find a way to get rid of him before Archimedes comes home. It's going to be difficult, even if he does something wrong."

"Why?"

Aesind's gaze flicks to Emrys's. Anxiety burns in their depths, unfamiliar and unsettling. Emrys's fingers twitch with the urge to reach across the table and take Aesind's hands between his own.

"His patron is... someone we dislike. He's also important in society, so I can't risk insulting him so publicly. Unfortunately."

"You've said that."

The delicate curve of Aesind's jaw twitches. "I realize. Without Archimedes here, I can't say more."

"I don't understand," Emrys says, leaning forward.

"You're not really meant to."

"I want to help, Aesind. I can't if I don't know what's going on."

"Well, perhaps I don't want your help," Aesind snaps, his fork hitting the table with a hard clack.

Emrys flinches back. "Aesind, I'm --"

"I assure you, I am perfectly capable of managing on my own. Your services aren't needed."

He turns his stony expression toward the garden and crosses his arms tightly across his chest. Leaning back in his chair, Aesind gets as far away from Emrys as he can without getting up.

It feels like a dismissal.

In this moment, Emrys is no better than any other thoughtless suitor, crossing boundaries without a care in the world. He shares an uneasy look with the staff member standing off to the side. They give him an arch look, glancing meaningfully at Aesind with a tilt of their head.

"Say something," they mouth at him.

Say something.

Emrys clears his throat. He falters when Aesind doesn't look at him. He steels himself for rejection and softly says, "I'm sorry. You're more than capable. I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I... You are my friend and my host, and I got caught up in wanting to be useful to you. I'll drop it. I'm sorry."

The glare he gets out of the corner of Aesind's eye is chilling.

"I'm sorry," Emrys repeats as Aesind turns slowly back around.

"I don't like being pushed when I'm anxious," Aesind mutters under his breath.

"Thank you for telling me," Emrys says, pressing as much sincerity into it as he can. "I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner. Next time, I'll do better. I swear."

Tense upset holds Aesind rigidly upright as he absorbs Emrys's apology. Only moments later, all of Aesind droops. His eyes fall to the table.

"I appreciate your intent in asking for information," Aesind says carefully. "I know you want to help." Green flits to brown. "But you being here and spending time with me is enough. I don't want all of our time together to be all about them and these problems. We're still friends. I still want to spend time with you as friends."

Emrys feels his innards turn to a mushy, sentimental goo. He keeps it moderately together outwardly.

"I understand," Emrys says (with an inward curse as he realizes his voice is horribly soft). "I'm sorry, Aesind."

"Accepted, so stop apologizing," Aesind replies with a huff. He picks up his cup of lukewarm lemonade and takes a sip. "And I... I apologize, too, for snapping at you. If... when I can tell you more, I will. But today, I just want to spend time together. I really need it."

Emrys grabs his own mostly empty cup. He leans across the table to clink the rim gently against Aesind's.

"To just spending time together," Emrys says with a toothy, hopeful grin.

Aesind stares at him for a second. Then, he softens. A sugar-sweet smile curves his lips upwards. He taps his own cup to Emrys's.

"To spending time together," Aesind repeats.

They sip.