Page 13 of By Mistake

Oresti wanted to cry. He'd been thrown out of Andrus's house hours ago, the sun would set in just a few more hours, he'd accomplished nothing significant the entire day…and he didn't give a damn.

All he wanted was to undo that horrible moment where he'd messed everything up. He'd known Andrus would be upset, but he hadn't expected to be thrown out, for Andrus to look at him like he was worse than a prison sentence. Worse than Farthing.

Distantly he heard his bedroom door open, voices talking in quiet murmurs.

Hopefully Greivs would get rid of whoever was trying to bother him; he wasn't in the mood to talk, let alone socialize or whatever else his family wanted from him.

He just wanted to lick his wounds for the night, then he'd get back to work.

Bury himself in that, try not to dwell on a man who hated him now.

"You look the most anguished I've seen you in years, Ori."

"Father? What's wrong?" Oresti turned and rose from the window seat he'd been curled up in.

The last time his father had come all the way to his chambers, instead of simply having him summoned, had been the night his mother died.

He'd come to warn that she didn't have long, and he needed to come say his goodbyes.

It had been the worst night of Oresti's life, even if he'd only been twelve at the time.

"That's what I've come to ask you, silly boy," Oranti said gruffly. "They say you've been hiding in here for hours and look on the verge of pitching yourself out the window."

"I'm not quite that miserable yet. I've no one to blame but myself, really."

Oranti pushed him back into his seat and pulled up a chair to sit close. "Tell me, Ori."

Sighing softly, Oresti did so, from the moment he'd seen Andrus in the street all the way up to being thrown out of his house.

"Of course you would pick the most controversial person in the entire kingdom to be enamored of," Oranti said with a laugh. "They will talk about this more than they gossip about my poor wives."

"There's nothing to talk about," Oresti said. "He made it clear he doesn't even want to talk to me anymore, so there's nothing for anyone to gossip about."

Oranti gave him a fond, patient look. "Ori, give him time.

He went, with brutal abruptness, from believing you were a man he could have to someone he shouldn't even be looking at.

That is a lot for anyone to process, especially a man in his circumstances.

Wait a day or two and then go see him." He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"It would help a great deal if he were to be put on more even footing with you. "

"He's nobility. He's already on even footing."

"He's poor, ridiculed, and being tormented by a man with a hundred times his power. Greivs is more equal to you than Lord Bothwell. What he needs is security. I will handle it. If the solution came from you, that would solve nothing. Wait until Venday, then go see him—and take a gift with you."

"If I take him a gift, he'll either throw it out or lob it at my head," Oresti said, staring out the window.

"Then make certain it's soft," Oranti retorted, standing up and putting the chair back. He ruffled Oresti's hair, because apparently he was still twelve. "You've never been the type to give up before, Ori. Don't change now."

Oresti smiled wanly. "You didn't see how upset he was, and with everything else he's endured—is still enduring, with stupid fucking Farthing —I won't be one more thing forced upon him.

But I will go see him in a few days, if you think I should.

If I'm turned away at that point, though, I think I will have to consider the matter ended. "

"Get some rest, then. Or go solve my murder mystery."

"Oh, I'm pretty certain Farthing is up to his eyeballs in that too. If he accidentally fell off the north tower onto the rocks at the base of the waterfall, a great many problems would be solved."

"Tempting though that is…"

Oresti smiled fleetingly. "I need to get a look at all of his staff.

One of them purchased the poison used to kill Willow-White.

I have an excellent description, and the witness will be happy to testify, or at least willing.

I've just been stewing on how to peruse all his staff undetected.

" Normally he'd get Greivs to help him, but he would be more recognizable to Farthing's staff than Oresti himself.

Not to mention that Farthing was out for Greivs's blood after Greivs had beat his ass.

The easiest option would be to enlist the help of a fellow police officer, but he was loath to put them in danger, and it risked exposing his own identity, since this wasn't a police case. Working off the books would also risk their career, which he also did not want to do.

There were magical options, but given Farthing was no slouch of a mage himself, he likely had protections against such things in his residences and offices.

His best chance without using magic was to stake out his primary residence and watch everyone coming and going—but he would need to cover all entrances, of which there were three, none of which could be watched simultaneously, and it was also possible there was an exit he didn't know about, which compounded the problem.

He needed help, but there was no help available.

There never was when he solved these kinds of problems. His family hated that he snubbed every offer made him, but really, how interested would those people remain when they realized what it was he spent all his time doing?

When they realized he would likely never have the kind of free time they'd want from him?

Like the rest of his family, he had duties, and those duties would always take priority.

It was the price of their wealth and power.

"You'll figure it out. You always do. If you need anything from me, though, you know you've only to ask.

What you do is the largely thankless work, but never doubt it's appreciated, all the more for how miserable and difficult it can be.

At least your siblings get to enjoy wine and good food while they do their part.

" Oranti hugged him tightly. "Now get cleaned up and come to dinner.

Sitting in here brooding won't do you any good. "

"Fine, but one word of marriage from anyone and I'm leaving."

Oranti laughed. "I'll do what I can, but the court does as it pleases, and you are the catch of the decade, my son. Wonder what they'll say when they see the choice you've made."

Oresti gave his father a look, but he was already vanishing through the door, rendering it ineffective.

Not that it would have had any impact, anyway.

A bit of a leap to go straight to marriage, though, when he was barely allowed…

had barely been allowed to touch Andrus in neutral fashion, let alone like a friend, and lover was certainly not an option any longer.

If it ever truly had been. He would have dearly liked for it to be.

Usually being royalty meant he was denied very little. How fitting that the one thing, the one person, he wanted most in the world he could not have because of his station.

Forcing himself into motion, Oresti called for servants and set to bathing and dressing for the evening, sending one to inform his sister he'd be around for dinner and whatever else, but he absolutely would not be tolerating shenanigans.

In reply, she sent him a glass overfull with a sparkling rose wine, his favorite.

So she was up to something all right, and would not be dissuaded.

Stifling a sigh, he finished affixing his jewelry, thanked his staff, and took the wine with him as he headed off downstairs to the grand parlor, which honestly was not all that different from the grand ballroom, save there was no space for dancing in this one.

Instead of Alina, however, he was first greeted by his brother Telish. "Ho, Ori, always good to see you. What made you decide to come join us this evening?" He stopped a passing server and then suddenly Oresti had his second glass of wine for the evening. "Want to help me out with something?"

"I don't know how in the world I could help you with anything, but sure, why not. Can't be more dangerous than everything I do in the day-to-day."

Telish grinned in a way that promised he'd regret those words.

"I changed my mind."

"Too late," Telish replied in sing-song tones, taking his arm and not quite dragging him through the crowd.

Wherever they'd been meant to go, however, was never reached, because people stopped them constantly.

They all had reasons, but it wasn't hard to see they were pretext to get his attention.

It was tiresome being the only royal sibling not married, betrothed, or otherwise promised in some way.

His family could say whatever they wanted about people being drawn to him, but the only real draw was his availability.

This was exactly why he avoided all these damn dinners and parties.

By the time the tenth person stopped them in a matter of minutes, Oresti had endured enough. Only the grip on his arm kept him from turning around and leaving, regardless of the offense he would cause.

The man currently talking to them gave Oresti what he probably thought was a charming, flirty smile. All Oresti could think about was the soft smiles he could occasionally coax out of Andrus. Sweet and sincere, so hard to earn, worth every second of effort.

Smiles he would probably never seen again.

Mustering a smile of his own instead of the glare he used on various criminals, he replied, "I'm afraid I cannot, my lord, marvelous as the invitation is.

I know your garden is renowned for its lilies.

I've agreed to take someone along the lavender walk that day, and I fear their wrath should I disappoint them. "