“He wasn’t here,” Aleric said shortly as he removed the lid to take a whiff. “It smells quite minty.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s to cover up the taste of poison.”
Aleric rolled his eyes. “Come here. We need to take out the mint.”
Jaime followed him. “Why?”
“I have a feeling the wise woman can deal with it, but the smell is quite strong, and it might soak into everything and make it harder if she wants to taste a speck or smell something in particular.”
“I don’t think I’d want to put things in my mouth to see if it’s dangerous.”
“She’ll be careful. A speck likely won’t do a thing, and she’ll spit it out anyway.”
Aleric fetched a glass tray to set on the table in front of the couch so they could pour out the jar and dig through the contents. The little pile of broken mint leaves grew bigger as they worked while sitting on the floor opposite each other. It was almost relaxing since Aleric was focused and not snapping at anyone.
“I meant what I said earlier about you not getting riled up,” Jaime said once they were nearly finished. “It makes you look bad.”
“I'm aware.”
“And maybe trying to keep everyone at arm’s length isn’t the best.”
“Keeping the knife away from my back is best,” Aleric snapped as he smelled a torn piece of leaf and tossed it in the mint pile.
“Yeah, but you can do that without being…bitter. I know you’re still tired and worn out, but-”
“Don’t tell me what to be.”
Jaime raised an eyebrow. “I’m not trying to tell you what to be. It’d be better if you didn’t seem so angry. Can't you pretend for a little while that you don’t care what Zacharie does since it seems to be him that makes you more inclined to yell or do shit? If he gives you anything, put it away and pretend like you forgot about it.”
“I don’t want anything from his lover in my rooms,” snarled Aleric.
“Pretend. If you seem more level, it might help later. The meaner you are to Zacharie, the worse you look to Father even if he still loves you. Lord Gautier knows you and your brother haven’t been the best of friends for the majority of your lives. You handed him a weapon without meaning too long before anything happened. You might not be able to quite take it back. You can dull it a little.”
Aleric watched him across the table. “The village boy isn’t the village idiot.”
Some compliment.
Chapter Fifteen
“I think you better apologize to Zacharie.”
The few words sparked rage in Aleric’s chest as he headed for the doorway to the Hall with Jaime a step to the side and behind him.
“He’s been upset all day,” finished Gautier.
Boohoo. Aleric paused and turned. Gautier and Zacharie were a few steps away. Keeping his anger down was hard when he had to get up and see the two idiots every day, one with murderous intent. Gautier looked displeased, to put it mildly, and Zacharie, eyes swollen, was a little behind him. How nice. The bastard was protecting his young, future husband who must have cried all afternoon like a damn baby over a few fucking cards. He hadn’t come to lunch earlier.
A few courtiers hastily averted their eyes and pretended like they weren’t watching. A couple hurried ahead into the Hall.
Aleric tried to keep his expression as bland as possible. He’d seen that expression on Gautier’s face before, and it wasn’t any better years later. “Okay.” He proceeded to turn around to head into dinner without apologizing. Like he was going to do what Gautier said. Fuck him.
“Zacharie’s here, not in the Hall.”
“I'm aware.”
Aleric wasn’t being polite or nice, but he wasn’t raging. In a way, it was easier to not go off on Gautier. The last time he’d seen that expression, pain had followed.
Ignoring him and pretending he wasn’t around likely wouldn’t invoke too much wrath. Others were nearby.
