Tabitha amiably. “So we think of her as a sister.” She paused, thinking with one finger against her lip. “Actually, that sort of makes me a princess by proxy. What are you again?”
The words were spoken playfully, but Tabitha was sometimes thoughtless with her jokes. Sammy flinched and her back straightened. Her green eyes caught fire as she replied, “Ask yourself that again in ten years, when I’m the world’s most powerful wizard.” Turning on her heel, she marched away.
Tabitha released his arm and went after her immediately. “I was making a joke Sammy, I’m sorry! I didn’t think about what I was saying.”
Will watched them go, wondering if he should intervene, but after a few seconds he decided to keep enjoying the night air. Tabitha and Sammy genuinely liked each other, and he had little doubt they would resolve their dispute. In the background, he heard Laina toss her two cents into the arena. “If you had kept your candles with you, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Then the doors behind him closed. Looking back, he saw that Selene had stepped out to join him and was now making certain they wouldn’t have any interruptions. She moved up to the railing and stood beside him, drawing her wrap around her shoulders to block the chill of the night air. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
Will smiled. “Yes. But not because of the stupid medal. It’s beautiful here, and most of the people I care about are close by.”
“Mostly because of the training,” said Selene.
She was right, of course. Not only were they teaching both his sister and his cousin, but Seth, Janice, Emory Tallowen, and two students from his class at Wurthaven were living with them for what would probably be a period of at least a year if not two or three. Will nodded.
“Your cousin seems to be taking a shine to Emory,” Selene said in a mild tone.
Will’s hands tightened on the rail. “I don’t think he’s well suited for her.”
“Why? He’s handsome, intelligent, well heeled, and he was one of your best sorcerers in the army. What does he lack?” asked Selene.
“Common sense, compassion, a proper sense of how everyday people live,” returned Will instantly.
Selene sighed. “You mean he was born to privilege. Do you think that makes him a bad person?”
Will paused, realizing they’d stumbled into a sensitive topic. He was married to a princess, after all. They didn’t come more privileged than that, but Selene had been anything but typical. “No, of course not,” he said after a moment. “But I’m not sure he’ll ever appreciate her properly. Deep down, he’ll always think of her as a peasant.”
His wife put a gentle hand on his arm. “He’s come a long way from when you first met him. If he really turns out to have an interest in her, I think he will change even more.”
“She’s still a peasant.”
“And her guardian is married to the crown princess,” said Selene.
Will looked askance at her. “Saying he’ll make allowances because she’s related to someone important isn’t going to advance your case.”
Selene refused to allow their talk to become an argument. Her tone remained relaxed as she replied, “Royalty and nobility function based on practicality above all else. Maybe it doesn’t suit your ideal, but the fact that you’re her cousin will force him to re-evaluate his beliefs. If they fall in love and he becomes more open minded as a result, does it matter what the reasons were that made him reassess his ideas about class and wealth?”
“Shouldn’t it matter?”
She met his gaze evenly. “What about me? Did you judge me so carefully before pursuing me and eventually interrupting my wedding? Did you worry about what my reasons were for changing my mind about chaining my future to yours?”
“That’s different,” said Will. “I wasn’t important either. You chose me purely because you loved me.”
Selene nodded. “I do, but was that really all of it? Do you think I didn’t see some other potential in you? I’d seen plenty of hints regarding your growing abilities already. Maybe your peasant background didn’t matter to me because I knew you would eventually become the most powerful mage of our generation.”
He stared at her. “Is that what happened?”
She shrugged. “Hell, if I know. People are complicated, and we often don’t fully know our deeper motivations. I tell myself I loved you simply because you were kind, brave, and that you cared more about what was right than what would benefit you, but is that the