Page 16 of By Mistake

It was hard to remember Shimari was a demon, really, with the whole looking and acting like a personal assistant.

Andrus laughed, half-hysterical, half-cynical, as he scrubbed his face and stood.

He was losing his damned mind. This entire situation had to be some sort of fever dream, and he was really sick and dying in the secret basement room where he'd failed miserably to summon a brownie.

He hadn't made it more than seven paces or so when Shimari returned bearing a tray laden with tea and food.

The sort of food Andrus had never had—delicate little tea sandwiches, fruit tarts, cream pastries.

Frivolous nonsense, not substantial food that kept you sated for the whole day so you didn't feel hungry again until evening. "What is that?"

"Surely you've seen a tea tray before."

"Not really, no," Andrus said quietly, staring at the floor.

"Sometimes for the Butterfly Festival, my mother could get food from the temples, usually old apples and such.

She'd mush them up into a sort of paste that we'd spread on bread and have with whatever tea was left, and we'd call that our holiday teatime.

She got pears one year. Those were my favorite.

Another year there were berries—I don't know what kind.

They had mold on them that we had to carefully wash off first." His heart pounded in his ears, shame turning his face hot, the memories leaving an ache.

His mother had always tried her very best, even when life fought them every step of the way.

There was a thump and clinking of dishes as the tray was set down, and then warm, slender fingers were gently nudging his chin up. Eyes like sunstruck red glass stared at him with an intensity that made his face burn all the more. "What?"

"You are a Bothwell. You are not meant to struggle so."

"Personally I think more nobles should be made to struggle so. It might teach them something about their soft and cozy lives free of real struggle."

"I agree, but the Bothwell line was never like that.

They came from nothing, once upon a time, and took care to remember those roots.

Sendrus was kind, almost to a fault, and he was famous for his generosity.

He was good friends with a man who lived in the harbors.

They smoked cigars together most evenings before Sendrus returned here to meet with Kolik in their little hideaway. "

Andrus's mind spun with too many questions, but the one that escaped first was, "Why are you so nice?"

"Nice? Hardly. But you are a descendant of Sendrus Bothwell, whom I considered a friend.

He dismissed me to save my life, and that is not a debt I will let go unpaid now I am returned here.

You are much like him, though sharper and thornier than he could ever manage to be.

" Shimari let him go. "Sit down. Eat. You slept for three days. "

"Three days!" Andrus was so shocked, he went without protest when Shimari pushed him into a chair at the little table where he'd set the tray. A writing table, the kind used to attend correspondence, nearly a full job on its own for those in high society. "Why was I asleep for so long?"

"Because you're lucky to be alive, that's why," Shimari replied sharply. He leaned against the edge of the writing desk, close enough Andrus could see the details in his fine breeches, smell the smoky, faintly sweet cologne he wore, like flowers and campfire on a cold winter night.

Cheeks hot, he focused on his food. "This isn't even real food, it's nonsense."

"I'm pretty sure food is food, even when it's indulgent," Shimari replied. "I wouldn't know, though. I don't require the same sustenance as humans. As most creatures."

"Oh. Right."

"Matter for later," Shimari said briskly, before Andrus could figure out how to ask if he needed blood yet.

"You are alive through a combination of impressive fortitude, your body frankly too in shock to know it shouldn't still be functioning, and good old fashioned dumb luck.

It's a testament to that fortitude that you're not only awake already, but up and about. "

"I just have a headache and feel sort of achy and tired. Couldn't have really been that bad."

"Most people who summon zero class demons, or even first class demons for that matter, have to prepare for the summons well ahead of time, strengthening their bodies, consuming a great deal of food, and so forth.

Still many of them either fail to summon the demon, die from the strain of the summoning, or are promptly killed by said demon because they made a careless mistake. "

"I think I win the prize for careless mistakes," Andrus muttered, and shoved another bite of sandwich in his mouth. "What sort of sandwich is this?"

"I think the cook called it creamy tuna with pepper and dill."

"We have a cook?"

"You can't run a proper household without one."

"I shouldn't have a proper household at all! How did you manage all this?"

"I obtained money, I put it to good use. You'd be surprised how quickly people will work when you're paying them two to three times what they would normally charge."

Andrus felt sick. "Where did you get that much money?"

"I took it from people who will never miss it and never deserved it in the first place. It's honestly quite disgusting to have so much wealth you aren't even capable of noticing when a large sum goes missing."

"Yes, it really is." Andrus finished his food only because he vehemently refused to waste it, even if he wasn't really hungry anymore. "So you stole money from my so-called peers and have tarted me up like I'm a proper lord."

Shimari quirked a brow. "You are a lord. Did you forget that part?"

"Maybe," Andrus muttered. He hadn't, not really, but he'd never lived a single day of his life as he 'should' because being nobility was expensive. To suddenly be something that was always an afterthought at best in his life was…

Oh, no. Oh, no . He shot to his feet, chair falling over behind him, teacup toppling in its saucer, sending tea all over the tray. "You've been paying people. Hiring people. That means they're talking . That means everyone knows that I'm no longer a pauper."

Shimari rose to his full height. "Yes? Why does that matter? Of course people are talking about you. They damn well should be. Idiots all of them."

"No, no, no ," Andrus said with a groan, burying his hands in his hair so tightly it hurt where it pulled. "You don't understand. If he hears about this, he'll come back and I can't—" He broke off, eyes blurring, and started to sit down before remembering too late he'd knocked the chair over.

Before he could crash to the floor, Shimari swept him up and carried him like a child back to the settee. "You do like to make an absolute production out of everything, Master."

"Don't call me that. And I do not. You don't understand. He can't come, he can't ."

A hand rested on top of his head, like a parent soothing a child. "Breathe, Master."

"What did I just tell you!"

Shimari laughed. "Should have done a better job with your magic. I have to fulfill your needs and desires, not precisely heed every single command."

"Marvelous."

Another laugh, beautiful and bewitching. "Who is this person you are so upset about learning of your improved situation? Someone who wants to hurt you?"

"No— I mean, yes, him too, but that's not who I'm talking about."

"Yes? Yes! " Shimari replied in an actual, real growl, his eyes turning to a darker red, like blood in moonlight. The entire room seemed to darken at the edges, and he swore for a moment there was something around and behind Shimari, a fierce, towering figure holding something like a staff, but—

Then it was all gone, and everything was normal again. Andrus trembled. A demon. He needed to remember that however Shimari behaved, however harmless he seemed, it was an illusion. A deceit.

"Now, now, little human, I have no intention of hurting you. I give you my word."

"Your word?"

"Sworn on my own name."

"Oh." That was no small thing. That was binding . Shimari really meant it. This demon more powerful than any mortal could comprehend had just vowed never to hurt him. "I don't…"

"Tell me of this cretin who wants to hurt you."

"No. It's not your problem."

"Tell me who it is, and they won't be your problem either."

Andrus laughed despite himself. "I don't care about him right now, I'm more concerned with—" He swallowed against the pain that just thinking about him brought. "With Oresti."

"Who is Oresti? Other than someone you're in love with, clearly."

"I'm not in love with him!" At the unfairly condescending look Shimari gave him, Andrus muttered, "I'm not, but I won't deny I would have liked to be. But he's not who I thought, and who he is will never be for the likes of me."

"How defeatist."

"Shut up."

Shimari snorted in amusement but did fall silent. For a few minutes. "So tell me about this Oresti."

"It doesn't matter," Andrus whispered, pinching his eyes shut. "What matters is that he has to stay far, far away from me. I can't— I'm not good enough. And being too close to me will put him in danger. He's too important to risk it."

"Fine, I'll figure it out myself. You need to focus on permanent staff."

"What's wrong with the current staff? Why are they temporary instead of just bringing them on full time? Is something awry?"

"They have no references, for myriad reasons. A few have arrests on their record, for stealing food or money, the occasional fight in the street."

"What's your opinion?"

Shimari spread his hands. "As humans go, they seem fine. Whatever their behavior, they're not evil. They're not even bad. Just…misbegotten, I suppose. I would never have brought anyone even the slightest bit dangerous into your home, unless it was to protect you."

"Then just make them permanent. If problems arise, we'll deal with them then. "

"As you wish, Master."

Andrus shot him a look.

"I had some clothes made for you, but of course you'll need a full wardrobe, so I've scheduled fittings for Relday in the morning, and I'm already having suitable clothes for the ball expedited. They should be here on Relday as well for final adjustments."

Relday. That was two days away. "The ball isn't until the end of the month. Wait, how do you even know about that?"

"I took a thorough inventory of the house before setting to work and found the invitation, along with a lovely wine that cost more than some of the furniture in this house. A wine fit for a king."

Andrus flinched before he could catch himself.

Shimari stared for a moment, then smiled in smug victory. "Your Oresti is royalty, isn't he? That's why the invitation. That's why the fancy wine. That's why you think you're not good enough. How fitting."

"Fitting?"

"My little dove, your great grandfather was in love, and having an affair, with Prince Kolik. As I said, they had their own secret space where they could safely be together. They could not be together properly for various reasons, but they did all that they could."

"What?" Andrus shot to his feet. "But this— All the poverty, the isolation, our fall from grace— All of that is because they said Sendrus murdered Kolik. That's the whole reason Oresti's family is on the throne now."

Shimari's face filled with rage, and that same shadowy image of a monster holding a staff or something flickered.

Shivers ran through Andrus despite the recently made vow that Shimari would never harm him.

"No. Sendrus would have never done such a thing.

He would have killed himself before harming a single hair on Kolik's head.

I didn't…" Sorrow seemed to fill his face a moment before it was overtaken by the anger again.

"Sendrus banished me, said he would call me back when he could, but he never did.

I assumed something must have gone wrong, but I never imagined that whole matter would end so tragically. "

"What happened?" Andrus asked, heart racing. He'd always wondered, always wanted answers, and right here was someone who could provide answers that no one else could.

"A long story for another time, but where there is power, there is lying, stealing, cheating, and backstabbing," Shimari replied.

"Yeah, that sounds right. Which is why I can't— Why Oresti has to stay away from me. Farthing is cocky enough to go after him, prince or not."

Shimari's eyes glittered, and Andrus realized his mistake. "Farthing, is it? Another name I know, old and full of poison."

Andrus sighed in defeat. "You can't just kill him. Gods alone know what sort of problems that would cause. It may very well make things worse."

"Fine, but I'm not discounting it entirely as an option."

"You—" Andrus bit the complaint off. This was a demon he was speaking to, after all. He'd do well to remember that. Something about Shimari, though, made him easy to talk to. Talk back to.

Shimari smirked. "Me, what?"

"You ," Andrus retorted.

That got him a laugh, and he had no business being as pleased as he was that he could get Shimari to laugh.

"So what does Farthing have against you?"

"That I still own this house. He wants the secrets it's rumored to hold—Sendrus's magic and knowledge. That place where I summoned you that nobody knows I know about."

"What about the garden?"

Andrus shook his head. "I don't know anything about the garden, except that it will take a long time to set it to rights."

"That's scheduled for next week, but there's a secret—" Shimari stopped as someone knocked on the door. "Enter."

A footman entered and bowed. "You've a guest, my lord. Investigator Kalhan."

"Damn it," Andrus said with a groan. "I knew this was going to happen. I told you!"

Shimari's brows rose. "Who is this Investigator, and does he need to be dealt with?"

"Oresti. It's Oresti. He, I don't know, decided to be an investigator even though he's a prince.

He's a good one. I—" He shook his head. "Doesn't matter.

He needs to stay away from me. I thought I'd driven him off, but I guess I need to do a better job of it.

" He dropped his head into his hands with a sigh.

"Show him in," Shimari said quietly. "Bring refreshments."

"Yes, Master Shimari."

Andrus stood and paced around the room, too anxious to hold still as he waited to see the man he most wanted in the world to see, and had hoped to never see again.