"That's what you said last time," he points out before he can help himself. "And then you studied magic until you unlocked your own, all for..."

Suddenly his fidgeting is a wonderful thing to stare at. His thumb rolling back and forth over his knuckles repeatedly and roughly. "I-It's not that no one wants you, A-Amelia. Y-You're beautiful and passionate, and..." Viatorus tries to take a deep breath but somehow it becomes shallow, short. "I-I can't be a-allowed to want..."

He closes his eyes and his fingers interlock, straining against each other as he lifts his thumbs to help him explain. He speaks slowly, giving him time to pull all the words from the mouths of his family. "My marriage... isn't about me. I-It's about my children. I-It's about my... my ancestors. It's... It's about... not me. Not about wants. I can't... think selfishly about this, Amelia, I... It's not how this works."